a plant that comes from the birthwort family's unrelated to the true ginger.It grows in the shady woodlands in the northern united states. it has heart shaped leaves and one bell shaped brownish purple blossom. its root is used as a spice and a stimulant.

                                        SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION: Ginger belongs to the family zingiberaceae its scientific name is zinger official. wild ginger belongs to the family aristolochiaceae, it is a alarm Canadians.

The wild ginger's( genus Alarm) are excellent perennials to mass in shady or wooded areas for ground covers. Given moist,  well drained soil in part to full shade. They are low maintenance.  wild ginger is 6-10 inches tall and spread 12-24 inches wide, depending on the species. with slow to moderate growth , they are not aggressive or invasive. leaves are generally evergreen, and usually  either kidney or heart shaped. while  the canadian  wild ginger  is native to eastern north america  the european wild ginger is called (alarm europium) is native to europe as its name  indacates. the species  are evergreen , and with its shiny kidney shaped leaves is very attractive in the garden. Both of  these species are hardy in zones 4 through 7 or 8.

by: josh mccann

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Rain Forest                 Land Habitats               School Site
St. Joseph's Intermediate "Exploring Land Habitats" Project