We found some wild ginger while walking on our trail at Hitchiti Experimental Forest. Asarum, is also known as wild ginger. Asarum has kidney-shaped leaves and bear brownish or red flowers. It is called wild ginger because it smells and tastes similar to ginger root even though they really are not related. The plant can be used as a spice but it is a diuretic, causing an increase in urination. Wild ginger grows in moist, shaded areas and is sometimes grown in shaded gardens because its leaves are an attractive ground covering.
Hitchiti Experimental Forest is located in Jones County, Georgia and is used as a research facility for the USDA in studying the southern Piedmont region. They study anything from the effects of fire and deforestation all the way to insects and diseases located in the forest. The goal is to understand more effectively how to conserve and utilize the natural resource of the forest.
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