In our search for the worlds’ most esoteric perennials, we’ve managed to grow enough of the hardy monotypic aroid, Ambrosinia bassii, to share in the new 2025 catalog, that launches at year end. This miniature oddity from Europe’s Mediterranean region, prefers to hang out in woodlands, growing in humus over the top of limestone rocks. In growth, the thumb-size green leaves form a 3″ tall, rock garden-sized clump that resembles a miniature hosta. The odd flower that sits atop the foliage looks like a miniature, fuzzy, purple-striped bong, designed with two gender specific interior rooms, one for the female parts, and another for the male parts. Hell, it’s no wonder that seed are scarce. Flowering for us is typically in early December. Bassi’s ambrosinia is most closely related to the mouse plant of the genus, Arisarum. In the ground, this is not an easy plant to grow, although it has proven far easier as a container specimen. It is best reserved for obsessively detail-oriented gardeners. The BB-sized tubers prefer to be slightly dry when summer dormant, but never to the point of desiccation.
