// SPECIES PROFILE · PERENNIAL · NATIVE

Wild Ginger

Asarum canadense

Wild ginger forms low evergreen mats of paired heart-shaped leaves on a creeping rhizome that smells distinctly of culinary ginger. Hidden purple-brown bell flowers at ground level are pollinated by emerging beetles and ants — a classic spring myrmecochory species. Perfect for the moist understory beneath pawpaw, oak, and pecan canopy.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Aristolochiaceae
Group: perennial
Native range: E. North America (incl. eastern OK woodlands)
USDA hardiness: Zones 3–8
Mature size: 4–8 in
Sun: Part to full shade
Water: Moist · woodland humus
Wildlife value: Ant-dispersed seed; early-spring beetle pollinators
Ecological role: shaded woodland groundcover · ginger-scented rhizome

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) — *Asarum canadense*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: shaded woodland groundcover · ginger-scented rhizome. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a shaded woodland understory, wild ginger pairs naturally with: american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), american alumroot (Heuchera americana), and black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Combine wild ginger with the warm-season grasses listed above for a self-sustaining matrix.

Wild Ginger

Field Notes

Companion Planting

Photo Reference