Dig into Plants: Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger

Other Common Names: Little Brown Jug, Evergreen Wild Ginger, Heartleaf

Scientific Name: Hexastylis arifolia

Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Stephanie Brundage

Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

Wikimedia – David J. Stang

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I keep leaves year-round, so I am evergreen.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 6 – 10 inches high and 1 – 2 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Other Pollinators

Other Ecological Benefit(s):

Pollinated by ants and other small, crawling insects

Maintenance Notes

Not dormant in winter.
Can be an aggressive grower.
In the winter, leaves are dark purple to brown.
This is not the kind of ginger you buy in the store to eat.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Part Sun/Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Shade
(Less than 2 hours of sun per day)

Average Watering

Well-drained, Acidic,
or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sally and Andy Wasowski

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Leaves are smooth, pale, whitish green with dark green veins and margins, up to 8 inches long, 4 inches or lower from ground, rise in pairs from the rhizome.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Cordate	Margin: Entire/Smooth

Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple

Wikimedia – Halpaugh

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Solitary, growing from the base of the leaf; often covered by leaf litter; leathery, urn-shaped sepals and no petals; three-lobed; mottled or spotted with purple, cream, tan, and brown; inner surface of the sepals is dark purple; flowers are shaped like little brown jugs, hence the common name “Little Brown Jug”.

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Purple, brown	Shape: Urceolate (urn-shaped)	Bloom Months: Mar – May

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots
Grows in isolated clusters, not a mat; seeds are believed to be dispersed by ants


Seed Type: Fruit – Moist fruit	Seed Description: fruit is fleshy capsule; rarely seen

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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