Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Asarum canadense
Wild ginger, Canada wild ginger
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Asarum canadense var. acuminatum, Asarum canadense reflexum, Asarum reflexum, Asarum canadense var. reflexum

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

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F
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M
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A
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M
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J
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J
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A
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S
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O
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N
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-herb, perennial

Roots: adventitious, rhizomes

Shoots: basal leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Pinnate leaf venation; orbicular and peltate leaf shape

Inflorescence: solitary

Flowers: perfect; 3 merous; incomplete, not petals, regular; red, others; epigynous ovary position

Fruit: capsule

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Rich wooded slopes, in valleys, ravine bottoms, and bluff bases. Locally abundant in flood plain woods- Fraxinus americana, Ulmus americana; also more upland, mesic areas- Prunus virginiana, Quercus rubra, Tilia americana. Rich wooded slopes in valleys, ravine bottoms, and bluff bases. Locally abundant in flood-plain woods- Acer saccharinum, Fraxinus americana, Ulmus americana; also more upland, mesic areas- Acer saccharum, Prunus virginiana, Quercus rubra, Tilia americana

ILPIN Notes: Calyx lobes straight in this variety. Use fresh or dried rootstocks as seasoning, as substitute for true ginger. Leaves may cause dermatitis. Seeds are dispersed by ants (Handel et al., 1981). Handel, S. N., S. B. Fisch, and G. E. Schatz. 1981. Ants disperse a majority of herbs in a mesic forest community in New York State. Torrey Botanical Club Bulletin 108: 430-437. Calyx lobes reflexed or very short Fresh or dried rootstocks used as seasoning and as substitute for true ginger. Leaves may cause dermatitis

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal: insect
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 5
  • Chicago Area: 7

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