Kirkazon family
Asarum does not have an exotic appearance, but is an attractive and very valuable plant for the garden. This perennial is able to transform any corner on the site and add its own flavor to the flower garden.
Despite the unremarkable appearance, this culture always becomes an expressive accent of the garden. In addition, this plant has a unique composition, so it can be used for medicinal purposes.
Usually, growing hoof is not a problem for gardeners, it is enough just to follow some recommendations for caring for it. Then the lush perennial will please the eye for a long time with its brightness and beauty.
The homeland of the hoof is Africa, North America, Europe, Western Siberia, Western Asia.
Popularly, wild hoof is known as “forest pepper” because of the specific smell of fresh leaves, which somewhat resembles the smell of black pepper.
Botanical description of the herb hoof (with photo)
According to its botanical description, the common hoof is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 30 cm high. The rhizome is creeping, branching, with a large number of thin long adventitious roots. The stem is thick, branched, brown.
The leaves are rich green, dense, heart-shaped, leathery, smooth, glossy, opposite, entire, with pronounced veins, up to 8 cm in diameter. Attached to a long petiole. The width of the sheet plate is greater than the length.
In shape, such a leaf somewhat resembles a horse’s hoof print, hence the name of the plant. There is a similarity with the human kidney, as a result of which botanists often call it “kidney-shaped.” The stem, leaf petioles and the leaves themselves are strongly pubescent on the underside. The stem, leaf petioles and the leaves themselves are strongly pubescent on the underside. In early spring, they die off, after which new leaves appear.
The flowers are goblet or bell-shaped, solitary, bisexual, up to 1 cm in diameter, consist of 3-4 petals, may be yellow, pink or brown, formed at the top of the stem. Quite small flowers are often difficult to see behind large leaves. Flowering lasts from April to May.
The fruit is a hexagonal capsule containing seeds up to 3 mm long. It is noteworthy that the smell and taste of foliage resembles pepper.
It is noteworthy that the smell and taste of foliage resembles pepper.
The description of the wild hoof plant is supplemented by the photo below for a better idea of what this culture looks like:
Popular types of hoof
Popular types of hoof
European hoof (Asarum europaeum) The stems are creeping, not rising above the soil surface, creeping along the ground, sometimes rooting. At the end there are two leaves on rather thin petioles. At the end there are two leaves on rather thin petioles.
Between the leaves at the very end of the stem there is a large bud covered with thin translucent covers, under them are the rudiments of two future leaves. In the center of the kidney is a small ball, similar to a pellet with small stamens inside. This is a bud. The amazing foresight of the plant: in advance, already in the fall, future flowers are formed, which will bloom very early in the spring, as soon as the snow melts.
The flowers are brown with a reddish tinge, with 3 petals and 12 stamens. After flowering, the flower changes little, its petals do not fall off, they retain their shape and color. By mid-summer, fruits are formed that do not differ in appearance from flowers. The seeds have an interesting feature – each seed is equipped with a kind of fleshy white appendage. This appendage is a delicacy for ants. Blossoms for 4-7 years of life.
Tailed hoof (Asarum caudatum)
It is an evergreen creeping perennial up to 25 cm high. In good conditions, it grows rapidly and forms a dense fluffy carpet. The leaves are dark green, dense, leathery, smooth, reniform, can be rounded or pointed at the end, attached to a long petiole.
The upper part is with pronounced veins, the lower part is covered with small villi. The length of the leaf plate is 5–10 cm, the width is 10–15 cm.
Flowering begins in the third decade of May, lasts until the first decade of June. This species has high frost resistance, able to withstand frosts down to -20 degrees. Suitable for landing in central Russia. In harsh winters with little snow, the roots may freeze slightly, but with the onset of warm spring days, the plant quickly recovers. A feature of the species is its ability to grow quickly and dominate among other ground covers.
Siebold’s hoof (Asarum sieboldii)
This popular type of hoof, unlike others, has a short rhizome. It is a small rounded bushes up to 20 cm high. The leaves are kidney-shaped, they can be pale green and gray-green. By the winter season, this hoof sheds leaves.
The flowers are purple, formed in the axils of the leaves, rather small, up to 1.5 cm in diameter.
Canadian hoof (Asarum canadense)
Herbaceous perennial with a large fleshy rhizome. Stems branching, creeping. Leaves are heart-shaped, dark green. The flowers are burgundy-violet, with three sepals fused at the base, slightly pubescent. Flowering occurs in April and lasts until June.
Shiny hoof (Asarum splendens)
One of the most spectacular types of hoof. It has deep green elongated heart-shaped leaves, on the surface of which a silver-gray pattern is applied. The flowers are small, with three fused burgundy-brown petals. The color is reminiscent of the bark of a tree.
Large hoof (Asarum maximum)
It features beautiful bright green leaf plates with a marble pattern on the surface. The flowers are three-petalled, slightly pubescent, have a black border around the edges and a white central part.
How does a perennial hoof plant reproduce?
In nature, this perennial plant reproduces and disperses mainly vegetatively (as the daughter sections of the rhizome separate, when the old sections die off, the whole individual earlier turns into a curtain with stem segments rooting at the nodes) and by seeds dispersed by ants that eat a fleshy white appendage. Growth occurs with the growth and rooting of annual growths of shoots, which usually occurs at the end of the growing season, after which they lie down and become part of a creeping rhizome.
In horticulture, two methods are known for how wild ginger reproduces: by dividing bushes in April or by seeds in autumn and spring. In autumn, seeds are sown in open ground immediately after harvest. Before spring sowing, planting material is stratified for 3 months, kept in a cool place at a temperature not exceeding 5 degrees. The first shoots appear 2-4 weeks after sowing, these will be two leafy rich green cotyledons. Young plants develop very slowly, and only after a year will the first leaf form.
It is more expedient to propagate the hoof by dividing the bush. If this crop is not on the site, you can choose a large, well-grown bush in the forest. If there is already one, you should dig it out, carefully divide it into parts so that each division has a sufficient number of shoots and roots. Planting is immediately carried out in a permanent place, after which the seedling is watered abundantly. The distance between the divisions should be about 35 cm.
After planting hoof seedlings in open ground, care is taken to help young plants adapt to a new place, successfully take root and continue their growth and development.
Outdoor hoof care after planting
The hoof is an unpretentious plant, but has its own characteristics. This culture is able to grow in one place without a transplant for about 30 years. All species of this plant develop slowly, and flowering occurs only 5 years after planting. The gardener should take into account that the ideal conditions for growing hoof are those that are as close as possible to forest ones.
Location. The hoof grows best in the shade and partial shade, so you need to choose a place on the site where the plant will always be closed from direct sunlight. You can plant it under trees with spreading crowns.
The soil. Any garden nutrient soil is suitable for it. They must be loose, moderately moist, with neutral acidity or slightly acidic.
Watering. Regular watering is necessary for the hoof, because with a lack of moisture, it fades and loses its decorative effect. Abundant irrigation is recommended in the heat and prolonged drought.
Frost resistance. European hoof has high frost resistance, therefore it successfully hibernates and is not damaged. Some species, such as brilliant, are intended for cultivation in regions with a warm climate. When planting them in central Russia, you should take care of shelter by preparing spruce branches, sawdust, dry leaves or dense material for this.
The use of hoof flowers in the garden (with photo)
Unremarkable at first glance, wild hoof is a valuable ornamental plant widely used in landscape design. This culture is universal. It helps to decorate the flower garden, complement the garden compositions, hide the unaesthetic corners of the site.
The hoof is planted along paths and curbs. With it, decorate the near-trunk zone of trees. It grows widely, gradually forming a dense lush carpet and leaving no room for weeds.
This culture looks advantageous both in single and group plantings, as well as in the foreground of rabatok. The plant has found application in mixborders – the lower tier and in the foreground of the shady area. The hoof creates a bright green shiny background, against which plants with openwork matte foliage look spectacular: ferns, daylilies, swimsuits, anemones, kupena, white flowers, blueberries, rogers and many others.
The hoof retains its decorative effect from early spring to late autumn.
All parts of this plant have medicinal properties. Leaves and shoots are a huge amount of vitamins, tannins, valuable acids and essential oils. Due to its rich composition, wild hoof has long been used in folk medicine. It is used for headaches, colds, vomiting, and also for the treatment of alcoholism.
Attention! The essential oil of wild hoof contains a poisonous volatile substance – azaron, so it must be used with great care.
Look at the selection of photos with hoof grass presented on this page, where this uncomplicated forest plant is demonstrated in all its beauty:
