asarum

[ as-er-uh m ]

/ ˈæs ər əm /

the dried rhizome and roots of wild ginger that yield an acrid resin and a volatile, aromatic oil, used chiefly as a flavoring.

Origin of asarum

< Latin < Greek ásaron hazelwort, wild spikenard

asantehene, asap, asarabacca, asarah betevet, asarotum, asarum, asat, asb, asb., asben, asbestoid

True ginger must not be confounded with "wild ginger," which is a small herbaceous plant (Asarum canadense) of the United States.

Birds and all Nature, Vol. V, No. 2, February 1899 |Various
The long, slender rhizomes of Asarum have a pungent, aromatic taste similar to ginger.

Birds and all Nature, Vol. V, No. 2, February 1899 |Various
It also feeds upon wild ginger or Asarum and probably upon other plants.

Butterflies Worth Knowing |Clarence M. Weed

asarum

/ (ˈæsərəm) /

the dried strong-scented root of the wild ginger plant: a flavouring agent and source of an aromatic oil used in perfumery, formerly used in medicine

C19: via New Latin from Latin: hazelwort, from Greek asaron