A Lovely Groundcover for Shady Areas
Canadian Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is a beautiful, low-growing, herbaceous woodland plant in the Birthwort Family (Aristolochiaceae). The plant grows 4 to 6 inches tall and forms clumps that expand slowly by rhizomes to form dense colonies. Once well-established, it is effective at suppressing weeds. It tends to grow best in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soils. But it is adaptable to slightly drier or wetter conditions. We find it tolerates clay soils so long as it still drains fairly quickly after rain. It is a woodland understory plant, and so prefers full shade or dappled sun. It will grow in partial sun, but it is best to avoid hot, afternoon-sun exposure.
A clump of Canadian Wild Ginger in NatureUnique Flowers and Pollinators
Canadian Wild Ginger sports some of the most unique flowers of any native species…but you have to look close! The flowers emerge from April to May, underneath the emerging foliage. The flowers are fleshy-red in color and lay horizontal along the ground, close to the plant’s crown. The unique flowers do not appeal to the usual pollinating insects like bees and butterflies. Instead, ants, fungus gnats, and beetles are the primary pollinators of this species.
These small insects tend to crawl into the flower structure for shelter, or driven in by the flower’s unique scent. They smell of rotted fruit or carrion…the perfect scent to lure insects that do not care about flowers. As the insects enter the flower structure, the pollen coats them. As they move into other flowers, they distribute the pollen and accidentally pollinate them.
Close up views of the flowers of Asarum canadense. Notice how close to the ground the flower is, and its unique color and pubescence.Seed Distributed by Ants
Like several of our woodland wildflowers, the seeds of Canadian Wild Ginger are distributed by winnow ants. Attached to the seed is a fleshy, lipid-rich structure called an eliasome. The eliasome is attractive to the ants, which then pick and carry the seed to a new destination. The ants eat the eliasome and leave the rest of the seed behind, where it can then grow.
A winnow ant (Photo: Blake Bringhurst, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)Habitat for Critters
Because of its density and closeness to ground-level, Canadian Wild Ginger aids in the retention of soil moisture and cooler soil temperatures. These conditions create an exceptional micro-habitat for amphibians, like frogs and salamanders. Worms, beetles, slugs, snails, and other ground-dwelling invertebrates find refuge among thick colonies of Canadian Wild Ginger. In turn, these colonies make excellent hunting grounds for forest birds, snakes, small mammals, and other animals that eat these invertebrates.
Red Salamanders are among the many organisms that may seek shelter under the dense cover of Canadian Wild Ginger
Leaves emerging in the springtime. You can see blurry flowers under the leaves.Larval Host Plant
Canadian Wild Ginger is sometimes utilized as a larval host plant by the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly and the Bold-feathered Grass Moth. Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies use Pipevines (Aristilochia species) as their primary host plants, but they will use some other members of the Birthwort family, like Asarum.
A Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, known to use Canadian Wild Ginger as a larval host plant.Native Range of Asarum canadense
Canadian Wild Ginger has a wide range in the Eastern and Central United States and Southeastern Canada. In the United States, it grows naturally from Maine south to the Piedmont Region of Northern Alabama and Mississippi. It is found all over the Appalachian, Smoky, and Blue Ridge Mountains. Its range extends as far west to the Ozark Plateau of Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma and north to the Great Lakes Region. You can find this plant in almost every county in Pennsylvania.
Companion Plants
Canadian Wild Ginger grows well with many other woodland understory plants. Some great companion plants that thrive in similar conditions include:
- Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
- Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)
- Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
- Violets (Viola sp.)
- Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
- Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans)
- Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)
- Sedges (Carex sp.)
- Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
- Trilliums (Trillium sp.)
- Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata)
A few great companion plants for Canadian Wild Ginger: (L-R) Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), and Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)Our Nursery Signage for Canadian Wild Ginger
When you shop at Edge of the Woods, you will see that all of our plants have descriptive signage in front of them that tell you everything you need to know. Here is our sign for Canadian Wild Ginger, with the basic growing information you need to know.
