GROWING GINSENG IN THE FOREST:
(1) Botany of Ginseng

by Hsuan H. Huang

1. American ginseng is a native perennial medicinal plant in hardwood forests, with rich moist soil throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada.
   
   
2. Mature ginseng plants have one stalk with three or four branches known as prongs. Each prong has five leaflets. In the center of the prongs, off the main stem, grows a seed head.
   
   
3. The root is yellowish white and can commonly weigh one ounce or less. The exterior surface is covered with growth rings causing groves and winkles.
   
   
4. A neck scar is found on the top of the root. The scar represents seasons of growth. The neck scars can reach a length of several inches. By counting the scars, like rings on a tree you can determine its age.
   
   
5. Ginsengs are found in hardwood forest such as Maple, Beech, Basswood, Butternut and Poplar. Companion plants are such as wild ginger, bloodroot, true Solomon's seal, goldenseal, sarsaparilla, and blue cohosh. Ginseng grows in this type of environment sloping toward the north or northeast.
   
   
6. Ginseng berries turn red in mid-August.