| European wild ginger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Flower and emerging spring leaves on a specimen from the Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Forest in Germany | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Aristolochiaceae |
| Genus: | Asarum |
| Species: | A. europaeum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Asarum europaeum | |
Asarum europaeum, commonly known as asarabacca, European wild ginger, hazelwort, and wild spikenard, historically cabarick, is a species of flowering plant in the birthwort family Aristolochiaceae, native to large parts of temperate Europe, and also cultivated in gardens. It is a creeping evergreen perennial with glossy green, kidney shaped leaves and solitary dull purple flowers hidden by the leaves. Though its roots have a ginger aroma, it is not closely related to the true culinary ginger Zingiber officinale, which originates in tropical Asian rainforests. It is sometimes harvested for use as a spice or a flavoring. In former days, it was used in snuff and also medicinally as an emetic and cathartic. [1][2]
- ^ Seidemann, Johannes (July 2005). World Spice Plants: Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy (1 ed.). Germany: Springer. p. 57. ISBN 3-540-22279-0.
- ^ Katzer, Gernot. "Geographic Spice Index". Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages.