PlantFiles: Upright Wild Ginger
Saruma henryi

I live in a small town on the southern end of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. Where I live is considered a Zone 5b. I have had Saruma henryi growing in my garden for the past four years and each year it gets better. For the past two years it has seeded and produced a number of new plants which I have shared with members of our local garden club. I have also moved some of the new plants to other locations in my garden and am waiting to see if they grow as well as the mother plant which is located in an area that gets sunlight for a short period in the afternoon only.

This is a gem in the garden. It is a bit hard to find, but is a must for a gardener interested in Asian plants.

Mine also seems to bloom just one time in May, and the flowers last about a week. My plant is already (as of June 4) showing signs of wanting to go into dormancy. I have it planted in shade with a couple of hours of morning sun. The leaves have a nice texture.

I just read on a reputable site that the entire plant is poisonous, so beware of pets and children!

This unusual plant is a close relative of Wild Ginger but it is more upright with ginger leaves on a stalk and its flowers look like Buttercups (small and yellow) than Wild Ginger. It seem to prefer partial shade and is a tough plant (having survived a rapidly spreading hosta) but slow to spread. Hard to find.

This is a lovely plant. I'm in Zone 5, it is planted where it get no directed sun light. They say that it continues blooming thru summer. Mine only blooms once in the spring in May, it dies back totally in the fall. Nice addition to the shade garden.