Description
Sold in bundles of 10.
At a Glance: Evergreen perennial that spreads by rhizome and often forms thick mats. Likes to grow in leaf mold and bottomland conditions.
Leaves: Heart to kidney-shaped, shiny and dark green. There are two leaves at each node. Leaf stalks are finely hairy.
Flowers: Purpleish-brown to greenish-yellow, solitary, bell-shaped flowers with three flaring lobes that taper to long points; often concealed by leaves.
Appeal: Beautiful evergreen floor mat that works well as a ground cover and has a rich lemon-ginger scent.
Ethnobotany: Wild ginger is named as such because the whole plant, when crushed, has a strong lemon-ginger scent. The root of the plant can be used fresh, or dried, as a ginger substitute. Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest have long used Wild ginger for medicincal purposes including treating tuberculosis, applied as a poultice, or used to settle the stomach. Wild ginger is known to have antibacterial properties.
| Sun/Shade Tolerance | Hydrology | Elevation Range |
|
mostly shady 60%-80%
full shade > 80%
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moist
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low elevation
mid elevation
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References:
Pojar, Jim, and Andy MacKinnon. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Revised ed. Redmond, Wash.: B.C. Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Pub., 2004. Print.
