Flower profile

Little brown jugs

Asarum arifolium

Native in the lower 48

Little brown jugs is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

9states

6of our state lists

17,649U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Asarum arifolia is a perennial wildflower in the family Aristolochiaceae found in the southeastern United States, from Louisiana to Virginia, inland as far as Kentucky. It is considered a threatened species in Florida. The appearance of the flowers of Asarum arifolia, growing near the ground at the base of the plant, give it the common name "little brown jug."
From Wikipedia's article Asarum arifolium, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Aristolochiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 6,430 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #7 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,697 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #3 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,948 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #19 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist

Little brown jugs gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (937 records)

Bloom time in each of our 6 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Native	March–May	6,430
Georgia	Native	March–May	3,697
Tennessee	Native	March–May	2,948
Alabama	Native	March–May	1,960
South Carolina	Native	March–May	1,527
Mississippi	Native	February–April	318

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: S5, secure in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: S5, secure in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: medium). Poisonous parts: leaves, roots. Symptoms they list: “Aristolochic acid is nephrotoxic and a carcinogen.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records little brown jugs in 9 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bryan, Bulloch, Carroll, Charlton, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Clay, Cobb, Columbia, Dade, Elbert, Floyd, Fulton, Gilmer, Hall, Haralson, Harris, Henry, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Putnam, Screven, Spalding, Talbot, Terrell, Union, Upson, Walker, White, Whitfield, Wilkes, Worth.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Cumberland, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Knox, Marion, Putnam, Roane, Sevier.

More North Carolina flowers

Little heartleaf

Asarum minus

🌼 Blooms in NC: February–May

Variable-leaf heartleaf

Asarum heterophyllum

Native

🌼 Blooms: March–May

Crane-fly orchid

Tipularia discolor

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: July–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HEARA.
iNaturalist, Asarum arifolium: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Asarum arifolium (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Asarum arifolium (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Niki Robertson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.