Leaf

Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Asarabacca

Asarum europaeum L.

Also known as: European wild ginger, Hazelwort

Family: Aristolochiaceae

5 to 15 cm tall

Cool, shady woodland on rich soil; used as a persistent ground cover in the garden

Flowering: March – April

Shade

Hardy to about -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Its flowers grow at ground level and are hidden beneath the leaves, a strategy that makes them accessible to crawling insects rather than the usual flying pollinators.

🍃 Leaves

Kidney-shaped, glossy, leathery, evergreen, borne on long petioles, forming a dense carpet

🌸 Flowers

Small, brown-purple, bell-shaped, hidden beneath the foliage at ground level

🍎 Fruits

Small fleshy capsule opening irregularly, seeds with an elaiosome dispersed by ants

🪵 Bark

Not applicable — rhizomatous perennial herbaceous plant

🗺️ Distribution

Temperate Europe, including France, in broadleaved woodland on calcareous soil

🐝 Value for pollinators

Inconspicuous flowers pollinated mainly by crawling insects (ants, small flies) rather than by flying pollinators

✂️ Horticultural uses

Persistent ground cover valued in woodland and shady borders for its glossy foliage all year round

⚠️ Possible toxicity

The whole plant contains compounds related to aristolochic acid (as in other Aristolochiaceae), toxic to the kidneys and potentially carcinogenic; ingestion is dangerous, even at low doses.

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

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