About wild ginger or Canadian wild ginger
Asarum canadense
Herbaceous flowering perennial
Birthwort family
Maryland distribution: In rich woodlands in midland and mountain zones; rare on the coastal plain
Height: foliage 4-8 inches high; will spread up to 12 inches under ideal conditions
![flowers of Canadian ginger](/agnr.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/styles/optimized/public/2022-02/HGIC_native_Canadian_ginger_flowers_1600x900.jpg?itok=8H9j3s7N)
Blooms: flask-shaped, 1 inch wide, brown to deep maroon flowers with 3 recurved petals appear in late spring hidden under the foliage
Sun: heavy shade
Soil: prefers woodland conditions of slightly acid, moist but well-drained soils
Garden use & maintenance: Dense groundcover of lovely kidney-shaped leaves, ideal in heavy shade. The foliage withers in late summer drought if not kept moist. Not grown for human consumption.
Wildlife: An alternative food source for the Pipevine swallowtail butterfly caterpillar. Flowers are pollinated by ants, beetles, and fungus gnats.
Deer: Deer generally ignore wild ginger