Asarum canadense
(Wild Ginger)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Wild Ginger, Canada Wild Ginger, Canadian Snakeroot, Broad-leaved Asarabacca
    Synonyms: Asarum acuminatum, Asarum reflexum, Asarum rubrocinctum
    Lifespan: Perennial
    Zones: 4 - 8
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: April - June
    Status: Native
    Range:

Asarum canadense, or Wild Ginger, is native to most of the eastern United States. It grows in open woods, as well as shaded woods. It blooms in mid to late spring, with small brownish flowers that easily hide under its velvety leaves.

There is only one species of Asarum that grows in the east, and it is Asarum canadense. These easily separates it from the other species; but there are also species of Hexastylis, which have a distribution in the southern US and overlap this. To tell them apart, Asarum canadense has fuzzy, heart shaped leaves that disappear each year back under the ground, while the species of Hexastylis have evergreen leaves that persist through winter until new leaves come up in spring.

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