Wild Ginger (Asarum) and Relatives: Shade-loving Groundcovers

Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense) and its relatives are effective for both home and commercial landscapes as low-growing, perennial shade-loving plants. Most wild gingers form large colonies of sturdy low- maintenance and quick-growing plants while others form decorative clumps useful as focal points.

Landscape Features and Uses

The evergreen-leaf species and varieties like Chinese giant wild ginger (Asarum delavayi) are outstanding for their shiny, deep green leaf surfaces. Others, such as the Taiwanese wild ginger (Asarum epigynum ‘Silver Web’), exhibit dazzlingly white-against-green patterning of the shiny surfaces.

Many wild gingers possess hidden flowers and are most valuable in garden landscapes for the leaf colors, textures and shapes they exhibit as groundcovers and clumps. Some Asian species and varieties, however, exhibit impressively large and surprisingly eye-catching flowers. Examples of some wild gingers with exotic-looking flowers are the “Panda-faced varieties” likeAsarum maximum ‘Ling Ling’ and Asarum maximum ‘Green Panda.’

Classification and Names

Worldwide, wild gingers and their relatives are members of the Artistolochiacea (Birthwort) family, a small group classified by various plant authorities into five to nine genera:

1. Apama
2. Aristolochia – Pipevine
3. Asarum – Wild ginger
4. Euglypha
5. Holostylis
6. Lactoris
7. Saruma
8. Thottea
9. Hexastylis – Little brown jug.

The family name probably arises from the genus Aristolochia, a medicinal herb used during childbirth. It translates into aristos meaning best, and lochia meaning delivery. According to the Virginia Native Plant Society, the genus name for Asarum is Greek, but the English translation is obscure.

Species names are easier to translate and understand. Here are eight examples of species names of wild gingers and their English translations:

1. canadense means “from Canada;”
2. virginianum, “from Virginia;”
3. europeaum, “from Europe;”
4. maximum, “highest or supreme;”
5. arifolium, “leaves like the Arum plant;”
6. caudatum, “with a tail,” referring to long points on its flowers;
7. shuttleworthii, “named for botanist Robert James Shuttleworth 1810-1874;”
8. delavayi, “named after plant-hunter P√®re Jean Marie Delavay, 1834-1895.”

Species, Hybrids, and Cultivars

Canadian wild ginger (Asarum candense), a North American native, thrives in rich shady woods, usually in colonies, from New Brunswick and Quebec to Ontario and Minnesota, south to North Carolina, northern Alabama, and northern Louisiana. Names and indigenous habitats of other wild gingers in the plant hierarchy may be confusing.

Allan M. Armitage suggests on page 138 in Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on Their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes, 2008 that there are 70 species of Asarum. He also maintains that Asarum should be the species name for all wild gingers instead of only the deciduous species, and that the evergreen-leaved species not be identified as the genus Hexastylis.

J. C. Raulston Arboretum maintains an elaborate photographic assemblage of 31 Asarum species, varieties and subspecies that includes North American, European and Asian forms. The list ignores the genus name Hexastylis and designates all wild gingers as Asarum.

Here are some examples that might make it easier to understand catalogs and labels:

1. Canadian wild ginger (Asaum canadense) (photos #1) includes the cultivars ‘Eco Choice,’ which is denser than the species, and ‘Eco Red Giant,’ which is larger than the species. These are difficult to find commercially. A. canadense is hardy in plant growing zones 4 through 7 to 8.
2. European wild ginger (Asarum europeaum) is an evergreen-leaved species native to Europe. It produces shiny, kidney-shaped leaves that are attractive in the garden. It spreads more slowly than A. canadense. It is also hardy in plant growing zones 4 through 7 or 8.
3. Virginia wild ginger (Asarum virginianum) (photos #2 & #3) is an evergreen-leaved species native to Virginia and the Carolinas. This species has leaves that are heart-shaped, 2 – 3″ long, and dark green, sometimes spotted white on the upper sides.
4. Mottled wild ginger (Asarum shuttleworthii) is an evergreen-leaved species native from Virginia to Georgia. As its common name indicates, this species has variously mottled foliage. ‘Callaway’ is a slow, mat-forming selection with mottled leaves, and ‘Eco Medallion’ is a silvery version with compact growth. This species is less hardy than the preceding two and grows well in zones 5 to 8.
5. Arrow-leaf ginger (A. arifolium) (photo #5) and Western wild ginger (A. caudatum) (photo #4) are also evergreen-leaved species native to the western United States.
6. Japanese and Chinese species, especially the examples listed above in Landscape Features and Uses, produce outstandingly long leaves and large flowers. When available, they make good specimens for shade gardens .