TOPIC: has anyone heard of or seen an 8 prong ginseng plant?

my old uncle Cecil from Tazwell,TN hunts ginseng like a pro and has some damn good luck that you just cant explain , anyway in a recent conversation with him he told me of the biggest root he ever found that had 8 prongs and he said it took him over 30 minutes to dig out and although he didnt take a pic, he told me it looked like ( keepin this clean ) he said it looked like a set of male genitalia with 2 large golf ball sized bulbs attatched to two, 7 to 8 inch roots as big around as carrots... and i know he wouldnt lie to me , and my other uncle Harry who helped dig it out confirmed his story... im just wondering if anyone has seen any 8 prongs or anything that large?? he hunts down around Tazwell TN and the surrounding area and has done so for decades. any way his story blew me away, becuz the biggest ive found here in ohio was about 18inch tall 4 pronger ... and with me just being a novice hunter, it just tickled me pink to find one that big...Is this possible ?? Becuz it has caused me to have dreams where i find giant Seng plants.
I`d just like to know if this is even possible or did he just happen upon a freak of nature or something ?? ... Becuz i know he would not lie to me.
I`d be interested in hearing any thoughts or similar experiences from those hunters down in that area ... or heck anywhere for that matter.
Thanks

Hillbilly

That sounds like a true story, seng can have all sorts of abnormalities eight prongs is a new onefor me.
I'm sorry,the story of a ginseng plant that looks like male genitalia is causing you to have dreams about finding the big one.

Guy

Sure would have been nice to have a picture of that plant.I've seen 5 prongers but no more than that and haven't found one that size in a long time.Would have been nice to see what ginseng was like back in Dan Boone days.

Five prongers I have found a few. But one old timer tells me of the eight prongers he had found. Said it would have a whirl of four prongs then up the stalk would be another four prongs. I'm guessing they must be happy plants with just the right amount of shade, moisture, nutrients and old age.

HA HA !... GUY im dreaming about giant GINSENG PLANTS ......not the shape of it... obviously there is part of my post that really peaked your interest...no worries though, i promise not mention any more male body parts again... lol... and yes its a true story... these guys were hunting ginseng long before i was even born, so they would have no reason to \" BS \" me on that story... but it does give a man a hankerin to go dig some ginseng though

LMAO@guy .... ive dug some big roots, but have still yet to find a plant larger than a 4 pronger ... a friend of mine this year while digging with me found a plant that had grown strange, and each leaflet on one leaf could have been considered seperate leaves (to some anyhow) ... could be possible that is what happened (was seen/dug)?

A few years ago I found a root with two stems-one was a 3 prong and the other was a 5 prong. Had the biggest root I have ever dug. I am wondering if that could be something like they talk about being a 8 prong?

Guys I just noticed this post,I will share something with you that I saw with my own eyes.

Around 17 seasons back I went to see a friend of mine from Shields Ky,after a hand shake and some hello`s he said Billy my friend next door has found something that I have never seen before,I asked what is it,Earl said he found an 8 prong ginseng plant so he came out and me and him went back and took a pot we dug the plant very carefully and brought it back out,then he said would you like to see it.We walked next door and it was to this day the prettiest plant Ive ever saw.

The steam came up and had 4 forks on it just as a normal plant,but instead of a berry pod at the center it had another stalk coming up and that stalk had 4 forks on it as well,then then berry pod came up from that center and it had around 25 berrys in the pod,from the bucket to the top of the plant was about 44 inches,the root was unbelievable Earl told me but I never saw the root they never took it from the bucket untill time to sell,but I reckon it was over 7 ounces and had above 50 neck scares alot of people from our area got to see this awsome plant,they kept it to show untill selling time for it.

This was the biggest plant ive ever saw it was from Harlan co Ky up above the Evarts area.

I have dug one 5 prong in my life it did have a nice root,but wasent realy huge about 2 ounces.

We found the biggest top that I have ever found myself this season,their is a picture of it on my post titled !! seng season open in ky !! on page 11 the plant was 40 & 1/4 inches tall you can see picks of it their,it was a 4 prong the main center leaf was big enough to cover my hand the root was nice to.

sounds like what the ol' timers called a \"double decker\". a 4 banger with another four banger up the stalk to boot. i found a pretty little one in Hardin Co. Ky on a steep creek bank and dug her clean out as fast as i could to show off to my diggin' pard....never taking into account the smarter choice of letting her go a couple years. the root wasn't nothin noteworthy and i fear that i may never see another. seen some other weird mutants...but not as pretty.