Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is a perennial ground cover that has attractive heart-shaped leaves. The Ginger is a slow growing plant, so it is great for plants with a lot of other flowers or ground covers. This slow grower likes lots of shade as well.

Asarum canadense, commonly called wild ginger, is a Missouri native spring wildflower which occurs in rich woods and wooded slopes throughout the State. Basically a stemless plant which features two downy, heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, handsomely veined, dark green, basal leaves (to 6″ wide).

Although wild ginger is grown more for its foliage than its floral display, its small blossoms are intriguing. The flowers develop at ground level, so they are often hidden from view. They can be various shades of brown, purple, black, yellow, and white; many feature unique patterning on the petals.

A wild ginger flower hiding under leaf litter. When you pull out a wild ginger flower, it looks a little bit like Trillium. Some of the flowers have much more elongated “petals.” What looks like petals on the flower are actually sepals, because wild ginger flowers don’t have any true petals.

The plant was a popular carminative and used to relieve generally upset stomachs. It was also used to treat intestinal ailments, and relieve stomach aches and cramps, as well as indigestion. Wild Ginger was used to treat colic as well, leading to another of its many common names: Colic Root.

Wild ginger, Asarum canadense, is unrelated to commercially available ginger; however, it is named wild ginger because of the similar taste and smell of the roots. Early European settlers used to dry the rootstalk, grind it to a powder and use it as a spice.

Ginger plants sprout shiny, heart-shaped, basal leaves. This means they only grow from the bottom of the plant, not the crown or anywhere further up. Examine the base of the leaf stems. Ginger plants have hairy bases to the stems, like they are covered in fine white whiskers.

Wild ginger is a member of the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae). Deep green, hirsute, heart shaped leaves with distinctive, prominent venation, and unique purplish-brown colored flowers, with three long, radiating calyx segments, distinguish the species.

Because dogs, especially, will eat large amounts, it is important to keep pets and these plants apart….Table 1: Non-toxic plants by common name.

The rhizome itself from wild ginger is fragrant, and is reported to taste and smell like ginger, but the local one I am familiar with, Hexastylis arifolia (Arrowleaf ginger), seems more licorice scented to me.

One possible minor side effect of drinking ginger tea is heartburn or stomach upset, similar to how you feel when you eat chilies or other spicy foods. You could mistake this irritation for a ginger allergy.