Wild Ginger produces maroon, three-petaled flowers at ground level, often hidden beneath its heart-shaped leaves. These flowers attract ground-dwelling pollinators like ants and beetles.
Seeds have an elaiosome, a fatty structure that ants love. Ants carry the seeds back to their nests, eat the elaiosome, and discard the seed—helping with dispersal.
Indigenous people used Wild Ginger as a spice substitute and medicinal plant for colds and digestive issues. (Caution: it contains aristolochic acid, which can be toxic in large amounts.)
Wild Ginger forms dense, low-growing colonies, making it an excellent native groundcover for shade gardens.
Despite the name, Wild Ginger is not true ginger (Zingiber officinale) but belongs to a completely different plant family.
Wild Ginger produces maroon, three-petaled flowers at ground level, often hidden beneath its heart-shaped leaves. These flowers attract ground-dwelling pollinators like ants and beetles.
Seeds have an elaiosome, a fatty structure that ants love. Ants carry the seeds back to their nests, eat the elaiosome, and discard the seed—helping with dispersal.
Indigenous people used Wild Ginger as a spice substitute and medicinal plant for colds and digestive issues. (Caution: it contains aristolochic acid, which can be toxic in large amounts.)
Wild Ginger forms dense, low-growing colonies, making it an excellent native groundcover for shade gardens.
Despite the name, Wild Ginger is not true ginger (Zingiber officinale) but belongs to a completely different plant family.
Bloom time: mid- to late spring
Habitats: along ravines and slopes; bluffs; slightly dry deciduous woodlands (both floodplain and upland)
Lifespan: perennial
Moisture: moist to slightly dry
Plant type (height): forb (4 to 12 inches)
Requirements: light shade
Soil: rich loamy soil (some rocky material underneath the soil is tolerated)
