Asarum europaeum - Asaret d’Europe, Cabaret

Asarum europaeum, commonly known as European wild ginger or Cabaret, is a small native groundcover perennial grown for its glossy, dark green, evergreen foliage. Its rounded leaves gradually overlap to form a low, regular carpet, ideal for planting in areas where lawn grass struggles to grow. Its curious flowers, hidden beneath the foliage, can be spotted in spring. Very hardy and undemanding once established, this wild ginger is suited to shaded areas that do not dry out too much in summer.

Asarum europaeum belongs to the Aristolochiaceae family. It is an evergreen herbaceous perennial: its leafy stems remain throughout winter. This botanical species is native to a vast region stretching from Europe to central Siberia. In France, it grows spontaneously in cool woodland, particularly on humus-rich, slightly chalky soils. The plant spreads by means of creeping stems and superficial rootstocks that root into the litter layer of dead leaves. It establishes slowly, but the clumps eventually merge to form dense cover. It reaches 10 to 15 cm in height and spreads 30 to 45 cm. Each short shoot bears one or two pairs of long-petiolate leaves. Their lamina, 5 to 8 cm wide, resembles a kidney or rounded heart. It is leathery, dark green, traversed by lighter veins and particularly shiny. From March to May, solitary flowers appear, with a corolla measuring 10 to 15 mm long, borne almost directly on the ground. Initially greenish, they turn reddish-brown or dark purple. Their floral envelope forms a small bell ending in three pointed lobes. Hidden beneath the leaves, these flowers are pollinated by small insects attracted to their peppery scent. The seeds bear a nutritious appendix sought after by ants, which thus aid in their dispersal. The foliage and rootstocks also release a spicy fragrance when bruised.

European wild ginger is used in a shaded border, beneath deciduous shrubs, or in a woodland-inspired bed. A group of at least five young plants will achieve a more uniform cover more quickly. It can be paired with other cool-shade perennials such as Hepatica nobilis, Polygonatum odoratum, Dryopteris affinis ‘Crispa’ or Eranthis hyemalis ‘Schwefelglanz’.