Asarum canadense 

Wild Ginger

Names and Myths

Asarum From the Greek asaron and Latin asarum which designated an undetermined plant.3

canadense of Canada. The ginger-like flavor of the rootstock is responsible for the common   name.13

Natural history / Folklore

Bruised parts have the odor of ginger, may cause skin irritation in some individuals. Native Americans used the root as a flavoring for food, a practice adopted by early colonists.11,32 Early blooming flower attracts crawling insects, providing shelter from wing as well as pollen. Seeds ant dispersed.6
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Description

April - May. Velvety heart-shaped leaves, carrion red flower at base of leaves, often under the litter. The flower has three distinctly pointed divisions of the calyx, and develops into a six-celled capsule.