Siebold's wild ginger is a low woodland plant from East Asia with a pair of heart-shaped leaves and small, jug-shaped purple-brown flowers that sit at ground level between them. It doesn't grow wild in the US; it's native to Korea, Japan, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A low perennial that spreads from creeping underground stems.
- Leaves
- Leaves come in pairs, heart-shaped with smooth edges, on long purplish stalks.
- Flowers
- Single cup-shaped flowers sit almost on the ground. What looks like petals is actually the , which splits into three lobes that curl back a little.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- forest understory
- moist valley floors
- Range
- Native to Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East, Manchuria, Korea, and central and southern Japan. It does not grow wild in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Shady woods with moist, rich soil.
Cautions
- Cautions
- The plant contains aristolochic acid, a compound linked to kidney damage. Don't eat it.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Some plant lists treat white-patterned Korean wild gingers, such as Asarum maculatum, as forms of this species, while Korean botanists keep them separate. It has also been called Asiasarum sieboldii.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The dried root is sold in traditional Chinese medicine under names like xi xin (hsi hsin).
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