Hexastylis Species, Ginger, Little Brown Jug, Wild Evergreen Ginger

The mottled, angular foliage of this plant makes it a striking understory dweller in moist to dry mesic forests of its native range, and ...Read Moreis the most widely distributed of the genus. This plant should not be confused with that most commonly referred to as 'wild ginger' - the deciduous Asarum canadense, or its less common cousin with more rounded mottled leaves, Hexastylis shuttleworthii.

Rhizomes give a distinctly piquant aroma and flavor of safrole (a la Sassafras albidium), and transplant successfully without much trouble. This plant tolerates dry soils, but thrives when adequate moisture is constant. It is an attractive ground cover for any shaded or dapple shaded area. Like all members of Aristolochia, this plant contains the documented nephrotoxin, aristolochic acid.

Wild Ginger grows in small clumps in deep shade at the back of our property, which is low but not quite swampy. It's not vigorous enough...Read More in this area to be used as ground cover but it's lovely nonetheless. Quoting from the book "Gardening with Native Plants of the South" it says, "For some reason, probably summer heat, wild ginger seems to be neither native nor adaptable to Zone 8, which covers most of the Coastal Plain." Guess we're lucky, since we're in Zone 8a, 30 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and where summer heat is greater than it is nearer the ocean. I've seen it planted in pots that are for sale at the Charleston Aquarium. Wild Ginger remains green year round here and has a pretty mottled appearance. Transplanted clumps grow more vigorously than they do in the wild, probably because they're watered more regularly.