Wild ginger Facts
Wild ginger Facts
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| Interesting Wild ginger Facts: |
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| Wild ginger can reach 6 inches in height and 6 to 12 inches in width. |
| Wild ginger has heart- or kidney-shaped, large, dark green leaves. Leaf stems are covered with white hairs. |
| Wild ginger has strong and wide rhizome which easily divides and facilitates vegetative reproduction of a plant. |
| Wild ginger blooms early in the spring. Flowers are brown to purple in color, shaped like bell. Despite beautiful morphology, flowers are almost invisible because they grow under dense layer of leaves. |
| Flowers of wild ginger lay horizontally on the ground. Unusual position of the flowers and unique color and shape are designed to attract pollinators - flies. When flies emerge from the ground after long winter looking for their favorite food (remains of dead animals) they will confuse flower of wild ginger with flesh of dead animal and enter the flower. Flies will collect pollen from one flower and transfer it to another one. They will repeat this scenario couple of times and successfully pollinate wild ginger. |
| Wild ginger contains both male (stamen) and female (pistil) reproductive organs and it is capable for self-pollination (in case fly failed to pollinate the flower). |
| Seed of wild ginger has little oily appendage, known as "elaiosome". Ants bring seeds of wild ginger into the anthill because they feed on elaiosome. Luckily, seeds remain intact and they easily germinate in the moist and warm underground tunnels of anthill. |
| Wild ginger provides shelter for some species of butterflies which lay eggs underneath its leaves. |
| Wild ginger lives in symbiosis (mutually beneficial relationship) with fungi which facilitate extraction of the nutrients from the ground. In return, wild ginger supplies fungi with food. |
| Aristolochic acid is a substance isolated from a root of wild ginger that has beneficial effects on human health. It can be used in treatment of pain, as an anesthetic and as diuretic. |
| Latest medical studies suggest that root of wild ginger contains two potent antibiotics, but plant should be used cautiously because it also contains toxic chemicals. |
| Native Americans believed that wild ginger improves functioning of the major organs and they often used it in treatment of elderly members of the tribe. |
| Dried root of wild ginger can be used as spice. |
| Root of wild ginger holds the ground firmly and can prevent erosion. |
| Wild ginger is perennial plant which means that its life cycle lasts more than 2 years. |
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