Plant Type

Ground cover, Perennial, Bulb

 

Height Range

Under 1'

 

Flower Color

n/a

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Half, Shade

 

Water

High

 

Growth Rate

Slow

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Moist

 

Soil pH

Acid

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Japanese, Tropical, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Unusual Foliage

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring

 

Location Uses

n/a

 

Special Uses

Naturalizing, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Wild ginger is a mid-west native, growing in rich woods and wooded slopes. A stemless plant with heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, handsomely veined, dark green, basal leaves, 6 inches tall and wide. Cup-shaped, purplish brown flowers (1 inch across) appear in spring on short, ground-level stems arising from the crotch between the two basal leaves. Flowers are quite attractive on close inspection, but bloom singly on or near the ground and are usually hidden from view by the foliage. Although not related to culinary ginger (Zingiber officinale), the roots of this plant produce a scent that is similar. Fresh or dried roots were used by early Americans as a ginger substitute, but the plant is not normally used today for culinary purposes.

Grow in average, well-drained soil, in part to full shade. Prefers soils high in organic content and somewhat moisture retentive. Spreads slowly by rhizomes to form an attractive ground cover for shade areas. Usually planted as a rhizome in the fall. Hardy to USDA Zone 4; our alkaline soils and hot, dry summers are its challenges, not our winters.