Common name: Wild Ginger
Family: Aristolochiacae, Birthwort
Height x width: 6-12" x 12-18"
Growth rate: slow
Foliage: heart-shaped, velvety green, to 3-6" across, evergreen
Flowers: purple-brown cup shape of 3 united sepals (no petals), one flower per plant horizontal on the soil surface so it can be pollinated by beetles and flies crawling on the ground; spring with fruits by early summer
Hardiness: zones 3-7
Soil: rich organic, moist but well-drained, pH 5-7.5
Light: part to full shade
Pests and Problems: none serious
Landscape habit, uses: woodland, native, groundcover
Other interest: native to the northeastern quarter of the U.S.; Native Americans used it as a birth control agent, and for a variety of ailments as the roots contain aristolochic acid which has antimicrobial and antitumor properties; the common name comes from the pungent ginger flavor of the edible roots
Other culture: easy
Propagation: division in early fall, ripe seeds with elaiosome covering removed
Related Species:
European Ginger, A. europaeum, is often grown in perennial shade
gardens, leaves being kidney-shaped and dark glossy green and smaller than
Wild Ginger. Other species may also be seen less often.
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