Asarum caudatum

Creeping wild ginger

Family: Aristolochiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Creeping wild ginger is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, central Coast Ranges, San Francisco Bay Area, and other coastal regions in moist forest habitats at elevations below 2,200 meters. Flowering from March to August, this plant produces maroon flowers with long-tapered lobes up to 9 centimeters long, featuring a white tube with a distinctive red median stripe. Growing with horizontal rhizomes near the soil surface, it forms loose spreading mats with green leafy foliage. Its leaves are entirely green, creating a lush groundcover with blades that spread outward from the plant's horizontal growth pattern. The flower's unique maroon lobes and intricate internal coloration make this wild ginger a subtle yet distinctive woodland plant.

Habitat: Moist places in forest

Bloom period: Mar-Aug

Elevation: < 2200 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, CCo, SnFrB

California counties: Humboldt, Alameda, Del Norte, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Trinity, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tehama, Napa, Madera, Fresno, Tuolumne

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.