Canadian wild ginger

(Asarum canadense)

Conservation Status
Canadian wild ginger
Photo by twCarlson
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

UPL - Obligate upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Canadian wild ginger is a 2 to 12 tall, erect, perennial forb rising from shallow, horizontal rhizomes. It is usually found in colonies.

A short stem branches at the ground level into two thick, densely hairy, 2¼ to 8 long leaf stalks.

The leaves are basal, bright green, slightly hairy, and shiny on the upper surface. They are kidney-shaped to heart-shaped, deeply indented at the base, 1½ to 3 long and 3 to 5½ wide. The blade is irregularly curved, wavy, or crinkled, making it appear distinctly 3-dimensional.

A single ¾ to 1½ wide flower rises from the leaf axil on a densely-hairy, ½ to 1¼ flower stalk. It lies close to the ground and is often hidden by the leaves.

The sepals are reddish brown with a whitish center. They are fused for two-thirds of their length into a bell-shaped tube, which divides at the top into three lobes. The lobes are bent backward. Beyond their middle the lobes curve upwards and narrow gradually to the tip, with the margins rolled backward to the underside. The rolled tips are from a little less than ¼ to ¾ long.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

2 to 12

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Reddish-brown

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Understory of deciduous forests. Partial sun or full shade.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

April to June

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  6/29/2022      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Magnolianae  
 

Order

Piperales (pepper plants, birthworts, and allies)  
 

Family

Aristolochiaceae (birthworts)  
  Subfamily Asaroideae  
 

Genus

Asarum (wild gingers)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
   
       
 

Synonyms

 

Asarum acuminatum

Asarum ambiguum

Asarum canadense var. acuminatum

Asarum canadense var. ambiguum

Asarum canadense var. reflexum

Asarum furcatum

Asarum medium

Asarum parvifolium

Asarum reflexum

Asarum rubrocinctum

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

American wild ginger

Canada snakeroot

Canadian wild ginger

Canadian wildginger

snakeroot

wild ginger

wildginger

wild-ginger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Nancy Falkum

 
    Canadian wild ginger   Canadian wild ginger  
           
 

Trillium grandiflorum and ginger

 
    large-flowered trillium      
 

Luciearl

 
 

Although the forest floor is lined with wild ginger, I rarely get to see the bulb at the base.

 
    Canadian wild ginger      
 

twCarlson

 
    Canadian wild ginger      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Colony

 
    Canadian wild ginger   Canadian wild ginger  
           
 

Plant

 
    Canadian wild ginger   Canadian wild ginger  
           
    Canadian wild ginger   Canadian wild ginger  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Asarum canadense
Butler Herbarium
 
  Asarum canadense  
  Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger)
Allen Chartier
 
  Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger)  

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
wvoutdoorman
 
   
 
About

Published on Apr 9, 2012

Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense)

   
  Canadian wild ginger Plant Identification
MiWilderness
 
   
 
About

Published on May 22, 2014

Canadian wild ginger plant identification. Another cool wild edible with all kinds of reported uses from food to medicine. Wild ginger does carry some precautions on edibility so please do your own research before consuming anything, wild or otherwise.

Asarum caudatum and Asarum canadense are the botanical names of wild ginger, it is not truly ginger, but it sure smells like ginger.

More useful and interesting plant videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB9DFB2A4ED09C68

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  Woodland Medicinal: Wild Ginger
Living the Hedge Witch Life
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on May 5, 2011

A plant of the woods, wild ginger can be used both as a wild edible and as a wild medicinal

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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Be sure to include a location.
 
  Nancy Falkum
5/6/2022

Location: Whitewater WMA, Main Branch Unit

Canadian wild ginger  
  Nancy Falkum
9/18/2021

Location: Bald Eagle Bluff SNA

Trillium grandiflorum and ginger

large-flowered trillium  
  Luciearl
5/23/2020

Location: Fairview Twp, Cass County

Although the forest floor is lined with wild ginger, I rarely get to see the bulb at the base.

Canadian wild ginger  
           
 
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