Ornamental · Aristolochiaceae
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Low mats of hairy, heart-shaped leaves over a single hidden, brownish-purple bloom.
Full shade
Every 3–7 days
USDA 4–6
6–12 in · 15–30 cm
Overview
Wild ginger spreads low across the shaded ground of eastern woodlands, its hairy, heart-shaped leaves overlapping into a soft green mat close to the soil. Each leaf carries a fine coat of hairs and tapers to the deep notch of a heart, held on short stalks that keep the whole plant low. The thick rhizome beneath gives off a faint ginger scent when broken, though the plant sits in the birthwort family and is unrelated to culinary ginger. The foliage rarely lifts higher than 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm).
The flower is the plant's quiet oddity. In spring a single brownish-purple, bell-shaped bloom opens right at soil level, its three lobes flaring from a small cup that sits hidden beneath the leaves. Parting the foliage is the only way to see it, low against the ground where the rhizomes run. From those blooms come seeds tipped with an oily body that ants carry off across the forest floor.
Up close the planting reads as a dense, low weave of leaves, each one rounded and soft-haired, layered thick enough to hide the dark stems and creeping rhizomes below. The mat thickens season by season as the rhizomes push outward and root. One fact sits apart from its looks: for all that the root smells faintly of the spice, no part of wild ginger is safe to eat.
Care
The short version: this low, hairy-leaved woodland mat wants full to part shade, rich humusy soil, and steady moisture all season, since it cannot take drought.
Light
Wild ginger holds its color and form in full to part shade, the broken light beneath a leafy canopy. A little morning or partial sun is bearable where the soil stays moist, but under strong sun the hairy leaves dry and scorch, losing their soft green.
Water
The soil under the mat needs to stay constantly moist, since the plant has poor drought tolerance. Watering roughly every 3 to 7 days through dry spells keeps the ground from drying beneath the leaves, adjusted for heat and shade. An occasional wet patch does the roots no harm.
Soil
Wild ginger sinks its rhizomes into rich, humusy ground that holds moisture yet drains, the loose, dark soil of a woodland floor. It runs happily across an acidic to neutral range, a pH of 4.5 to 7.0.
Temperature
The plant is cold-hardy in the extreme, holding through winters down to about -29°F (-34°C) and summers up to 84°F (29°C). Its deciduous leaves brown and collapse in fall, then unfurl fresh and green again in spring.
Humidity
There is no humidity figure to watch, since ordinary outdoor air suits it. What keeps the leaves plump and green is steady moisture at the roots and the cool, sheltered air low in a shaded bed.
Feeding
The plant asks for almost no feeding in decent woodland soil. A spring top-dress of leaf mold or compost laid over the mat is enough, breaking down slowly into the ground the way natural leaf litter does.
Pruning
There is little to cut. Lift away any tattered or damaged leaves that spoil the low weave, and let the rest die back on its own through fall, since the foliage is deciduous.
Repotting
Wild ginger runs as an in-ground mat rather than a potted plant, so repotting never enters the picture. Every few years an established colony can be lifted and divided where it crowds itself or thins bare at the center.
Size & spacing
The leaves rise only 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above the soil, while each plant reaches 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm) across. Set at that spacing, the hairy leaves overlap and close into one continuous, low mat.
When to plant
Wild ginger roots best while the soil stays cool and damp underfoot. Its divisions go into the ground in spring or fall, it is hardy through zones 4 to 6, and the small brownish-purple flowers push open at ground level in early to mid spring.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring or fall
- Harvest: Brownish-purple bell-shaped flowers in early to mid spring (April-May), hidden at ground level beneath the foliage.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–6
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Wild ginger shows most of its problems right on the leaves and low mat where you can see them. Nearly all of it traces to slugs rasping at the foliage in damp shade or to soil that dried out, and each leaves clear marks.
Leaves flagging, browning, and the mat thinning
With its poor drought tolerance, wild ginger drops and dulls when the soil dries. The leaves flag and brown along their edges, and the thinning always shows worst in the sunnier, drier corners where the mat bakes. A deep soaking plumps them back up, a leaf-mold mulch traps the moisture, and a move to a shadier, damper spot keeps the leaves green for good.
Fix:
- Water deeply to restore even soil moisture
- Mulch with leaf mold or compost to retain moisture
- Relocate to a shadier, moister site if needed
Ragged, chewed holes torn through the leaves
Those holes are the work of slugs and snails, rasping at the soft foliage hardest in damp shade and after rain. A silvery slime trail across the leaves gives them away, and a night search finds them tucked underneath. Pick them off by hand after dark, rake away the leaf litter they shelter in, and scatter iron-phosphate bait where the chewing shreds the mat.
Fix:
- Hand-pick slugs and snails in the evening
- Remove leaf litter and debris that shelter them
- Use iron-phosphate slug bait if damage is heavy
Red, itchy skin after brushing the leaves bare-handed
Brushing the hairy foliage bare-handed leaves some people with contact dermatitis, a patch of redness or itching where the skin met the leaves. It fades once the contact ends. Wash the spot with soap and water, and pull gloves over your hands before handling or dividing the plant again.
Fix:
- Wash the affected skin with soap and water
- Wear gloves when handling or dividing the plant
Toxicity
Behind the soft, hairy leaves and the small hidden bloom sits a real hazard. Every part of the plant holds aristolochic acid, a compound that damages the kidneys and is a known carcinogen, so the faint ginger smell of the root is no invitation to taste it. Keep it from being eaten by people, pets, and grazing animals, and wear gloves before handling the leaves, since contact can irritate the skin.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Caution
A cat that bites into the leaves or roots can drool and turn queasy. The deeper hazard is the aristolochic acid soaked through every part, which damages the kidneys, so a curious cat belongs well away from the mat.
Dogs Caution
A dog chewing the foliage usually shows an irritated mouth and an unsettled stomach. Because aristolochic acid runs through the whole plant, a known kidney toxin, any real mouthful is worth a call to the vet.
Horses Caution
Horses seldom crop it low in the shade where it grows, but the aristolochic acid packed in leaf and rhizome is hard on the kidneys. Keep it out of pasture and out of cut hay.
Rabbits Caution
The soft leaves are no green for a rabbit. The aristolochic acid threaded through every part is a kidney poison, so even a small nibble is worth preventing.
Livestock Caution
Cattle, goats, and sheep draw in the same kidney-damaging aristolochic acid when they browse the leaves and rhizomes. Fence the mat off from grazing animals and keep it out of cut forage.
Birds Caution
Poultry and other birds should not peck at the leaves or the rhizomes below, both loaded with the carcinogenic, kidney-toxic aristolochic acid. No part of the plant is safe for them to swallow.
People Caution
For all the faint ginger scent, no part of wild ginger is safe to eat, despite the old habit of drying the root as a seasoning. Its aristolochic acid harms the kidneys and is a known human carcinogen, and even brushing the leaves can leave the skin irritated.
Wear gloves when handling, dividing, or pruning to avoid skin irritation, and keep the plant and its roots from being eaten by people or pets.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Wild ginger is grown as the straight species, so there is a single plant to picture here.
Asarum canadense (species)
The native deciduous species shows soft, hairy, heart-shaped leaves and a single brownish-purple, three-lobed bell flower that sits pressed to the ground beneath them.
Companions
Wild ginger pairs naturally with the other plants of the shaded woodland floor, the trilliums, violets, and ferns that want the same damp, rich, dappled ground.
Plant near
Trillium grandiflorum: Shares the same moist, shady woodland niche and naturalizes well alongside wild ginger as a groundcover.
Viola pubescens: A native woodland companion that thrives in the same part-to-full shade and rich soil conditions.
Ferns and woodland wildflowers: Combine well in shade and woodland gardens where wild ginger forms a low groundcover layer.
How to propagate
Wild ginger multiplies readily once settled, largely because its creeping rhizomes push out along the ground and root as they go, widening the mat on their own.
DivisionEasy
Spring or fall · One to two growing seasons
Division splits the low mat into new plants most reliably. An established clump is lifted in spring or fall, and the thick rhizomes are cut apart so each section keeps a few plump growth buds. The pieces root down and fill back into a mat over the next one to two growing seasons.
LayeringModerate
Growing season · One growing season once rooted
The creeping rhizomes layer themselves as they travel. They root along their length as they push across the soil through the growing season, drawing the leaves into a wider mat. Once a rooted stretch has formed, usually within a single season, it can be cut free and lifted as a separate plant.
SeedDemanding
Sow fresh seed in summer to fall · Several years to reach groundcover size
Seed is the slow road, one for patient hands. It is sown fresh from summer into fall, since each seed carries an oily elaiosome that ants seize and haul off across the ground. Several years pass before a sown patch thickens into a true mat.
Myths
Wild ginger is a safe wild substitute for culinary ginger because the root smells and tastes like it.
The faint ginger scent of the rhizome is a false clue. Asarum canadense is unrelated to true ginger and holds aristolochic acid, a documented kidney toxin and known carcinogen. The root was once dried as a seasoning, but that history does not make it safe. No part of the plant should be eaten.