Member of the Birthwort (Aristolochiaceae) family. Found in , rich woods, grows 6 to 12 inches, March - July, blooms April - May. Flowers are single cup-shaped with 3 red-brown calyx lobes at ground level in the crotch between 2 leafstalks. Flowers are sometimes hidden by the leaves. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, with hairy stalks. It spreads via the roots and sometimes grows in dense colonies. Used in Native American and Early American medicine to treat chest pain, dropsy, and gastrointestinal tract disorders. Similar species were used by Western Europeans as an emetic, cathartic, and errhine (to promote sneezing). References: Grieve, M. (Maud). A Modern Herbal; the Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs, & Trees with All Their Modern Scientific Uses. New York :Harcourt, Brace & company, 1931.