A small Arisaema?

Question

I have a very small arisaema-looking plant. it is growing as a ground cover with waxy green heart shaped leaves. The flowers are the same height as the leaves, and brown striped. The hood on the flowers is quite short in comparison to the arisaemas I have researched.

Every arisaema I have seen is very tall, whereas my plant 15cm in height.

Does anybody have any ideas?

It might not be an arisaema, so any ideas are welcome.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hey Cutie:

        Where is the plant? Swamp? Desert?(ecotone);Arizona? New York ? (geographical)

Can you PLEASE post a pic ?

Are u suggesting Jack-in-the-Pulpit or perhaps Green Dragon?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arisaema_tr...

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symb...

Answer 2

I grow the mouse-tail arum, Arisarum proboscideum, that will form a dense, short ground cover and the flowers spathes look like mice with their tails up in the air. I usually describe the leaves as arrow head shaped.

http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/A/Arisarum_...

Or perhaps you have the Friar's Cowl, Arisarum vulgare, this one does have heart shaped leaves and the spathe is striped below.

http://www.e-pelion.com/flora_araceae_av...

http://www.maltawildplants.com/ARAC/Aris...

The wild ginger (Asarum) have glossy, thick heart shaped leaves but are often mottled.  This plant forms patches.

http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/A/Asarum_ha...

http://www.hillkeep.ca/per%20asarum.htm

Answer 3

Arisaemas (Jack-in-the-pulpits) wouldn't have heart-shaped leaves.  Nor would they be a groundcover.

But by your use of the term "hood" I'm assuming that the plants would have the flower in the form of a spadix (central stalk containing the male and female parts of the flower with a modified leaf [spadix] either behind: http://content.answers.com/main/content/... or wrapped around it as in Jack-in-the-pulpit or skunk cabbage).

Without knowing your location, or seeing a photo of the plant, about all I can tell you is that it's something probably in the family Araceae.  This is a list of all members of the family found in the US: http://plants.nrcs.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topi...

If the flower structure isn't as above, what you have might be an Asarum or Hexastylis (family Aristolochiaceae), which would have heart-shaped leaves and form a ground cover: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symb... , http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symb...