American ginseng
I've spent the last month reading and writing about American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). What an amazing story! After somehow surviving 300 years of exploitation, this plant has earned my respect. For a quick introduction, see the lead paragraphs of the wikipedia article on American ginseng.
The following is from New Flora of Vermont [2015]:
QUOTE
Ginseng, "shang." Forests and woodlands, usually on soils derived from calcareous bedrock, near colluvial traprock or below talus slopes, often in the sugar maple-basswood-white ash association; frequent. Specimens seen from all except Essex, Franklin, and Bennington counties, but it probably occurs in all. There has been substantial trade in this species at various times in Vermont, probably beginning soon after its discovery in North America in 1720 (Thompson 1842). Its roots are still collected for sale. There has been some planting of it into the wild for this purpose, and it has also been commercially cultivated. Those collecting it have been called "shangers" and hunting for it has been called "shanging."
END
In my limited experience, this species is rather uncommon (not "frequent") in VT, with very few individuals per occurrence. What is your experience with this species?
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I have found Ginseng in several places around Vermont, always in special places. Its presence is a strong indicator of rich, calcareous soils, where many other uncommon plants are found. If you find Ginseng, you are likely standing in an out-of-the-way corner of an old-growth sugar maple forest, surrounded by special plants, so regardless of any medicinal properties, it can always be associated with a beautiful experience.
This is a species I've looked for. I know I've been places where it grows, but as tsn mentioned, those places have a lot of cool plants to look at, so maybe I get too distracted hehe. I wonder too if it is easy to overlook because of the similarity of the leaves to wild sarsparilla (Aralia nudicaulis).
I think I remember reading at one point that the root isn't especially tasty, so I think it is mostly targeted as a medicinal herb. It has a lot of "benefits" that aren't necessarily supported by scientific research. I didn't know it was grown commercially, which is nice, because I know poachers have done a lot of damage to populations of the plant.
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