Hexastylis contracta

Hexastylis contracta, commonly known as the mountain heartleaf,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the pipevine family.

Hexastylis contracta
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Piperales
Family:	Aristolochiaceae
Genus:	Hexastylis
Species:	H. contracta
Binomial name
Hexastylis contracta Blomquist

It is native to eastern North America, where it has an unusual distribution. It is nearly endemic to the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee, but there are disjunct populations in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia.[2][3] Its preferred habitat is the deep shade of acidic forests, often growing under Kalmia latifolia and Rhododendron maximum.[2][4] Due to its restricted range, it is considered vulnerable.[1]

It flowers in late spring, where it produces a tube shaped flower at ground level.[5]

References

1. "Hexastylis contracta". NatureServe. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
2. "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
3. "Hexastylis contracta". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
4. Flora of North America
5. Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission