Wild ginger’s blossoms are often overlooked, as they are located beneath its leaves, close to the ground. (Photo by Mary Holland)

Skunk cabbage is often the first wildflower to poke its head above the ground in early spring. Right on its heels comes a profusion of colors and shapes displayed by coltsfoot, hepatica, bloodroot, spring beauty, wild columbine, Dutchman's breeches, wild ginger, and trout lily, to name but a few of our spring wildflowers. Although small, most of these wildflowers easily catch the eye of a passerby. There is one, however—wild ginger (Asarum canadense)—whose flower remains hidden from the casual observer. It is well worth the search it takes to find it, for its color, shape and location set it apart from all other flowering plants.

The design of wild ginger's flower, like that of all flowering plants, has more to do with attracting pollinators than putting on a show for humans. The flower is located underneath and at the junction of the stems of its two broad, heart-shaped leaves. It is often lying on the ground or very near it—exactly where the flies and beetles that emerge from the ground in spring are likely to find it. These insects are looking for carrion—dead animal carcasses—to eat and to lay their eggs on. The deep maroon coloring of wild ginger flowers is similar enough to that of rotting meat that it attracts the insects, which, while investigating the flowers, discover pollen, not carrion, which they are also amenable to eating. In the process of procuring a meal, the insects inadvertently acquire pollen on their bodies, which they disperse to every other wild ginger flower they visit in their continuing quest for a meal. Not only does wild ginger offer pollinating insects food, but it offers shelter as well, inside its cup- or bell-shaped blossom.

Most of wild ginger's relatives are tropical, and are not closely related to any other plant in the world. This becomes apparent when you see how different its flower is from the flowers of other plants. Another difference between wild ginger and some spring wildflowers is that wild ginger leaves persist all summer long, producing food which will be stored in its roots and used for next spring's growth.

A singularly appealing quirk of wild ginger's seeds is their appeal to ants. Like the seeds of hepatica, violets, and many other wildflowers, wild ginger seeds have a small, fatty protuberance on them referred to as an "elaiosome." Ants are partial to the taste of elaiosomes. They collect wild ginger seeds and haul them down into their underground tunnels where they eat the fatty tidbit and discard the rest of the seed. What could be more conducive to germination than the underground tunnels of an ant colony? A win-win situation for both wild ginger as well as the ant.

Although not related to the ginger herb we use for flavoring, the root of wild ginger has a similar smell and flavor, and has historically been used as a spice. It is harvested, dried and then ground into a powder. Early settlers also cooked pieces of the root in sugar water for several days to obtain a ginger-flavored, candied root. The leftover liquid was then boiled down to syrup that was used on pancakes and other food items. Wild ginger was used by Native Americans to relieve upset stomachs, much as we drink ginger ale today. Consumption of this plant is not advised today, due to the possibility that it contains poisonous compounds.

Look for wild ginger's evergreen leaves in rich, moist woodlands during April and May. Because they reproduce via their rhizomes, or underground stems, you often find colonies of them. Peer under the two, paired leaves, next to the ground, and you should find a single jug-shaped maroon flower with a white interior and three reflexed, pointed tips. It won't disappoint you.

Mary Holland is the author of Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England. She blogs about natural history at www.naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com.