WILD GINGER

(genus Asarum), any of about 75 species of perennial herbs of the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceae), distributed throughout North Temperate areas of the world. The leaves and underground stems (rhizomes) of some Asarum species give off a pleasant odour when bruised, and dried rhizomes are sometimes used as a substitute for ginger. Canadian wild ginger, or snakeroot (A. canadense), grows about 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) tall in shady woods in eastern North America. It usually bears two heart-shaped, downy leaves and a single inconspicuous cup-shaped flower. The flower develops in the angle between two leafstalks at the surface of the ground and has three reddish brown lobes. This plant is a useful but coarse ground cover. European wild ginger, or asarabacca (A. europaeum), a creeping, hairy-stemmed plant with bell-shaped brown flowers, is native to Europe and Asia. It was formerly used in various medicines, particularly purgatives, and in snuff.