Heartleaf Ginger

(Hexastylis arifolia)

One of my favorite places to stop when I’m on a trip through the Tallahassee area is the Native Nursery. Not far off I-10, it is a perfect place for a rest stop. Regular folks are surprised to learn that gardeners stop at places like this instead of welcome stations and stops designed for such purposes. At the nursery we walk around and stretch our legs. In the process, of course, we are apt to find a plant or two to add to our gardens. 

On one such stop, I found an interesting native ginger. I had been growing the tall gingers from foreign places in my garden for years, but I had never seen this native ginger. Of course I couldn’t pass it up. This beautiful little heartleaf native ginger has been in my garden for many years and has multiplied at a snail’s pace.

Heartleaf wild ginger (Hexastylis arifolia) with its evergreen, glossy, triangular, five- to eight-inch leaves is perfect for woodsy sites. For groundcover use, it does not make a thick carpet, but spreads loosely to form a clump about 18 inches in diameter. In spring, interesting purplish- brown blooms hug the ground. These “little brown jugs” often go unnoticed since they are sometimes covered by leaf litter.

The native range is pine woods, hardwoods, and swamp forests in very acid to acid, rich, moist to dry, well-drained soil in shade to half shade. It makes sense to find a place in the home landscape that is under native trees where leaf litter is allowed to fall and provide consistent mulch. Once established, native gingers need very little care. Be sure to grow them in a shady place under trees or in front of taller plants. Their leaves will burn in sun.

The roots of wild gingers have a pungent aromatic smell much like that of other gingers. Some American Indian tribes used the roots medicinally as treatment for stomach ailments, heart trouble, backaches, whooping cough and asthma. 

Propagate native gingers in any number of ways. Divide in fall and transplant to permanent locations. Collect seeds after they ripen in mid to late summer and sow on the surface of the soil in pots. Cover lightly with a layer of sand, and leave them outside over winter. Seeds should germinate the following spring. 

Sometimes this native ginger is called Asarum arifolium. Scientists have assigned the deciduous wild gingers to the Asarum genus, and evergreen species are assigned to the genus Hexastylis. Varieties include Hexastylis arifolia var. arifolia, H. arifolia var. callifolia, and H. arifolia var. ruthii. Very close examination (usually by scientist under a microscope) is required to determine the differences.  

Other wild ginger species of the South include Hexastylis virginica, H. memmingeri, H. heterophyllum, and H. shuttleworthii. A particularly beautiful cultivar of H. shuttleworthii, appropriately named ‘Callaway’ was selected by Fred Galle of Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Many other species can be found of both Asarum and Hexastylis, especially ones that are native to our Western states or to Japan and other parts of the world. 

Heartleaf wild ginger lends its green color and interesting texture to the ground in winter and provides winter browse for white-tailed deer. Flowers are fertilized by beetles, gnats, flies, and other ground-feeding insects. Like other members of the Aristolochiaceae family, they host larvae of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly. 

Thank goodness for garden center rest stops. My garden is much more diverse because of the plants that have been purchased on such excursions. Their restrooms might not be as nice, but the outdoor landscapes pale in comparison. 

At a Glance

Hexastylis arifolia

Say:  hex-uh-STY-lus air-ih-FOH-lee-uh

Family: Aristolochiaceae

(Birthwort Family)

Other names: Littlebrownjug, Heartleaf Wild Ginger

Origin: Southeastern North America-Virginia to Louisiana

Zones: 6-8

Light: Full to part shade

Water Use Zone: Moderate to Low

Size: 6-12 inches

Soil: Acid, well-drained, woodsy soil

Salt tolerance: Slight to None