Back to the page
  • Welcome
  • Visit us
    • Visit us
    • Opening times & information
    • Visiting – travel, dogs, toilets, etc.
    • Ticket Prices
    • Pre-book tickets
    • Garden map
    • Group Visits
    • Tours
    • Press and photography
    • The Garden Café
    • The Garden Shop
  • Accessibility
  • What’s on
  • The Garden
    • The Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Horticultural Collections
    • Understanding Plant Labels
    • History of the Garden
    • Wildlife
    • Plant picks of the week
  • Learning
    • Learning
    • Schools
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Adult Learning
    • Family Activities
    • Communities
    • Science on Sundays
    • Trails for Adults
    • Certificate in Botanical Horticulture
  • Science
    • Science
    • Our Science Staff
    • Our Staff Publications
    • Your Science
    • Supporting Your Research
    • Phenology Project
  • Collections
    • Collections
    • Living Collections
    • Seed Bank
    • Herbarium
    • Cory Library
    • Archives
    • Living Collections Portal
    • Botanic Dyes
  • News
  • Support Us
  • Friends
    • Friends
    • Join the Friends
    • Friends’ Events
    • Corporate Support and Corporate Friends
    • Gift Memberships
Donate
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
menu

Today's Opening Times:
10:00am - 6:00pm

  • News
  • Support Us
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Home
  • Visit us
    • Ticket Prices
    • Opening times & Information
    • Visiting – travel, dogs, toilets, etc.
    • Garden Map
    • Group Visits
    • Tours
    • Pre-book tickets
    • Press & Photography
    • The Garden Shop
    • The Garden Café
    • Accessibility
    • Virtual Visits
  • What’s on
  • The Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Horticultural Collections
    • Understanding Plant Labels
    • History of the Garden
    • Wildlife
    • Plant picks of the week
  • Learning
    • Schools
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Adult Learning
    • Family Activities
    • Communities
    • Science on Sundays
    • Trails for Adults
    • Certificate in Botanical Horticulture
  • Science
    • Our Science Staff
    • Our Staff Publications
    • Your Science
    • Supported Publications
    • Supporting Your Research
    • Phenology Project
  • Collections
    • Living Collections
    • Herbarium
    • Seed Bank
    • Cory Library
    • Archives
    • Collecting Expeditions
    • National Plant Collections ®
    • Living Collections Portal
    • Botanic Dyes
  • Friends
    • Join the Friends
    • Gift Memberships
    • Friends’ Events
    • Corporate Support and Corporate Friends
  • Open search panel
Close search panel
Home Plants Saruma henryi
Share Created with Sketch.
  • Email Share this with Email
  • Facebook Share this with Facebook
  • Twitter Share this with Twitter
  • Pinterest Share this with Pinterest
  • WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp
  • Google + Share this with Google plus

Saruma henryi

View all plants

This relative of the birthwort is producing a succession of flowers in the Woodland Garden.

Saruma henryi, or upright wild ginger, is a shade-loving herbaceous perennial from China, where it grows in forests, valleys and streamsides. Although this species occurs in several provinces of central China, it is registered as being endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, due to habitat loss and population fragmentation. S. henryi forms a mound to 60cm in height, and spreads either by creeping roots, or by seed. Individual tri-petalled, yellow flowers, produced sporadically through summer, are borne in the leaf axils, and the downy, cordate leaves release a ginger-like scent when bruised. The species honours Augustine Henry (1857-1930), a plant collector for the Royal Botanic Garden Kew, who spent 20 years botanising and collecting in central China. A member of the Aristolochiaceae (birthwort family) S. henryi is related to the Chinese wild ginger (Asarum splendens), European birthwort (Aristolochia clematitis), and the Brazilian Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia grandiflora).

University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden

Social

  • Follow us on YouTube
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Threads
  • Follow us on LinkedIn

© 2025 Cambridge University Botanic Garden

  • Privacy policy
  • Contact us