+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## canadian wildginger {#canadian-wildginger .Title-Header}           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| *Asarum canadense* L.                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Symbol = ASCA                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

## *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

**Alternate Names**![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6944444444444446in"
height="1.7965277777777777in"}

Canadian snakeroot

# Uses

*Ethnobotanic:* The Abnaki used a decoction of the plant in combination
with another plant for the treatment of colds. The Ojibwe used the roots
of this plant as an appetizer by putting it in any food as it was being
cooked. It was also used for indigestion. The Iroquois used the roots to
treat scarlet fever, colds, urinary disorders, and headaches. The
Cherokee used the plant for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. The
roots were used to treat coughs, colds, heart trouble, and blood
medicine. The Meskwaki used the roots for many things. The cooked root
was put into the ear for earache or sore ears. When one could not eat
certain things, this root was cooked with these foods and it rendered
them palatable. Mud catfish were cooked with Canadian wildginger to
improve its flavor. When the root was chewed and the fisherman used the
spittle on the bait, it enabled him to catch catfish. The Menomini used
the fresh or dried roots of Canadian wildginger as a mild stomachic.
When the patient was weak or had a weak stomach and it might be fatal to
eat something he craved, he was fed a part of this root. Whatever he
wanted could then be eaten with impunity. The Micmac also used the root
as a stomachic and to treat cramps. The Potawatomi used the root to
flavor meat or fish and render otherwise inedible food, palatable.

*Wildlife:* Canadian wildginger is an alternate food source for the
pipevine swallowtail butterfly *(Battus philenor).*

# Status

Please consult the PLANTS web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

# Description

*General:* Birthwort Family (Aristolochiaceae). This herbaceous
perennial is hairy, especially the petioles and calyx. The leaves are
cordate-rotund to cordate-reniform, mostly 8-12 cm wide at anthesis, and
larger at maturity. The solitary, red-brown flowers are 2-4 cm. They are
short peduncled, arising between the pair of leaves. The fruit is
capsular, opening irregularly. The seeds are large, ovoid, and wrinkled.
The rhizome produces annually a pair of petiolate, broad, hairy leaves
and these are deciduous at the end of the season.

# Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. This plant is found in rich woods,
usually in colonies from New Brunswick and Quebec to Ontario and
Minnesota, south to North Carolina, northern Alabama, and northern
Louisiana.

# Establishment

*Propagation by seeds:* This plant is somewhat difficult to start from
seed and much easier by division. Gather the mealy fruits when they
first begin to split. Clean the seeds, washing off all of the pulp that
might inhibit germination and sow them outdoors immediately. They should
be planted in a shaded seedbed and well watered throughout the summer
for good germination the following spring. Note that the seeds of
Canadian wildginger, if stored before planting, should not be kept dry.
They should be placed in sealed plastic bags at 40° F and in slightly
moist vermiculite. Seeds can also be sown in plugs and transferred
several times to larger pots. They should be place in a greenhouse for
three months and then moved to a cold frame for three months before
planting out in the garden.

*Propagation by division:* Divide mature plants in early autumn when
they start to go dormant. With the appropriate garden tool, cut through
the rhizome at intervals of 6-8 inches. Another method is to leave the
parent plant in place and divide sections from the edges of the clump.
Replant the new divisions right away and water them thoroughly.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

These plant materials are readily available from native plant nurseries
within the species range.

# References

Cullina, W. 2000. *The New England Wild Flower Society guide to growing
and propagating wildflowers of the United States and Canada.* Houghton
Mifflin Co., New York, New York.

Densmore, F. 1974. *How Indians use wild plants for food, medicine and
crafts.* Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York.

Gleason, H.A. & A. Cronquist 1991. *Manual of vascular plants of
northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.* Second Edition. The New
York Botanical Garden. Bronx, New York.

Herrick, J.W. 1995. *Iroquois medical botany*. Syracuse University
Press. Syracuse, New York.

Moerman, D.E. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany.* Timber Press,
Portland, Oregon.

Phillips, H.R. 1985. *Growing and propagating wild flowers.* The
University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Smith, H.H. 1923*. Ethnobotany of the Menomini*. Bulletin of the Public
Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4:1(8-175).

Smith, H.H. 1928*. Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki*. Bulletin of the Public
Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4:2(175-326).

Smith, H.H. 1932*. Ethnobotany of the Ojibwe*. Bulletin of the Public
Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4:3(327-525).

Smith, H.H. 1933. *Ethnobotany of the Forest Potawatomi Indians*.
Bulletin of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 7:1-230.

Taylor, LA. 1940. *Plants used as curatives by certain southeastern
tribes*. Botanical Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.

# Prepared By & Species Coordinator

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Science Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited 05dec00 jsp; 17mar03 ahv; 30may06jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*