Wild Ginger (Wildflowers of the Preserve at Shaker Village)

Wild Ginger

Asarum canadense

Summary ⁵

Asarum canadense, commonly known as wild ginger, is a small forest-dwelling plant native to deciduous forests throughout eastern North America. This is commonly seen as a dense ground cover of thick, heart-shaped leaves only a few inches above the forest floor. Its unusual flowers bloom in the spring and are often hidden below its leaves.

Wildlife Interactions ⁵

Although wild ginger flowers are generally self-pollinated, they are visited by small flies and beetles.

When seeds are ripe they are spread by ants and other insects in a process called myrmecochory. The seeds have fatty appendages called elaiosomes which attract ants. Ants take the seeds back to their colony, strip off the nutritious elaiosome, and discard the actual seed nearby as trash.

Similar Species ⁵

Wild ginger may be mistaken for other low-growing forest plants with heart-shaped leaves, like violets. The leaves of wild ginger are generally thicker and rougher, semi-evergreen, with smooth edges.

Sources and Credits

More Info

iNat Map

Blooms in	spring
Color	green, maroon, purple, red
Habitat	Forest
Status	native

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Wild Ginger

Summary 5

Wildlife Interactions 5

Similar Species 5