A bizarre brown-purplish to yellowish or greenish flower is hidden by heart-shaped leaves growing in pairs from trailing, rooting stems that form dense patches. Flowers 1.5-5 in (3.8-12.5 cm) wide. Height: creeper, with leaf stalks 6 in (15 cm) high.
Moist shaded woods below 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation.
From British Columbia and western Montana to northeastern Oregon; south on the western side of the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to near the coast of central California.
The aromatic stems and roots were used by early settlers as a substitute for tropical ginger.
