Washington Native Plant Society: Starflower Image Herbarium

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Asarum caudatum

Wild Ginger

At a Glance: Low-growing evergreen perennial that smells strongly of lemon-ginger when crushed.

Height: Can grow up to 8 inches (20 cm) tall.
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Stems are finely hairy, root freely and are trailing.
Leaves: Leaves are heart-shaped and a net-like vein structure, surfaces are shiny with fine hairs. Leaves emerge in pairs along the rhizome on hairy leaf stalks 5-30 cm long (Cooke, 89). Size: 4-10 cm (1.5-4 in) long, 15 cm (6 in) wide; color: dark green.
Flowers: The solitary purplish-brown to greenish-yellow flowers occur on 1-3 cm long stalks near ground level and have 3 flaring sepal-like lobes that taper to long points and are fused at the base. Note: flowers are often concealed by leaves. Size: up to 5 cm across; shape: bell-shaped.
Flowering Period: April, May, June.
Fruits: Fruits are fleshy, 6-chambered capsules (Cooke, 89) with several seeds and a prominent fleshy appendage; shape: egg-shaped.


Photo © Heidi Bohan

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
Prefers deeply shaded forests. full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: FACU (facultative upland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
Prefers rich soils.
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

(data not available)

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 89.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 138.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 331.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 317.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.