Asarum rollinsiae

Asarum rollinsiae, commonly known as Rollins' wild ginger, is a perennial wildflower in the family Aristolochiaceae. It is endemic to Baldwin County, Alabama.^[3]

Asarum rollinsiae
Full-plant view of Asarum rollinsiae with flower.
Conservation status
Possibly Extinct  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Piperales
Family:	Aristolochiaceae
Genus:	Asarum
Species:	A. rollinsiae
Binomial name
Asarum rollinsiae (B.R. Keener & Todia) A.R. Diamond
Synonyms[2]
Hexastylis rollinsiae B.R. Keener & Todia

Description

Asarum rollinsiae is an evergreen, herbaceous plant endemic to a single drainage in Baldwin County, Alabama. It has arrow-shaped leaves which are variegated between the leaf veins, a characteristic trait of members of the informal Asarum arifolium-speciosum clade. The flowers are borne among stiffly erect pedicels which are recurved in order to direct the calyx towards the ground. The calyx has recurved calyx lobes and greenish-yellow styles. Blooming occurs in early spring.^[4]

Taxonomy

Asarum rollinsiae was originally collected by Gena Todia, an avid native plant gardener known for rescuing flora from sites facing development. In May 2019, she observed a distinctive Asarum specimen growing alongside Asarum arifolium and Asarum harperi that did not match either species. To aid in identification, she posted photographs of the plant to the Facebook group "Flora of the Southeastern United States." There, Brian Keener, herbarium curator at the University of West Alabama, recognized its unique morphology. In 2021, he formally described the species as Hexastylis rollinsiae based on cultivated material, an unusual but necessary approach, as initial efforts to relocate the plant in the wild were unsuccessful.^[4] The species was transferred to the genus Asarum in 2023 by Alvin R. Diamond, herbarium curator at Troy University, following molecular studies that supported the inclusion of Hexastylis within Asarum.^[5]

Conservation status

Asarum rollinsiae is globally ranked as GH – Possibly Extinct by NatureServe, although this ranking is currently inaccurate as a handful of wild populations have been successfully located.^[1]

Front view of Asarum rollinsiae flower, showcasing greenish-yellow styles. Photo by Brian Finzel.

Discovery through social media

Asarum rollinsiae is the first plant species in North America to be formally described following attention drawn through internet-based platforms.^[4] It is the second North American species described via the internet, following the fungal species Troglomyces twitteri described in 2020 as the direct result of a Twitter post.^[6]