TOPIC: Ginseng Identification Help

Hello wildgrown,
I am trying to identify American Ginseng, I am new to the forum but I am trying to get a better understanding of what Ginseng looks like. I have begun to plant ginseng on a North facing slope with good high ph soil and I need to know what I am looking for. Thank you very much!

Man I didn't realize the picture resizing weirdness! If you right click the photos and click view image, you can see them on my flickr account.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14115590257/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14300212882/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14115503220/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14322305673/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14115481848/in/photostream/

Hi mtplateau,

I\"m sorry, but all of those pictures are what we call 5-leaf ivy. Some farther south call it Virginia Creeper.

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PAQU2

Yep.. most of your pics are showing Virginia Creeper...

Here is a pic that will help you identify ginseng.

This is a big patch of virginia creeper vine on a hillside, with a single 3 prong ginseng plant in the midst of it (circled).



The sets of 5 leaves are similar on Ginseng and Virginia Creeper...

but on Ginseng you have a single stalk that comes up and then from a single point forks off into prongs and then you have a set of 5 leaves on each prong. With ginseng the 3 big leaves point out from the center, and then 2 small leaves point back towards the center.

When I walked up to that spot, that is what I immediately picked up on. It is the pattern in the leaves that makes the ginseng stand out (once you get it).

TNhunter

Here is a couple of youtube channels where you can see all kinds of ginseng, wild and wild-simulated at various ages.

Good Luck !

TNhunter

www.youtube.com/user/ginsenghunter1

www.youtube.com/user/YTTNhunter

Okay thank you for the help! I will try to post some pictures again tonight of my attempted planting of stratified seed. When the seedlings are small I have an almost impossible time figuring them out. My site does have an endless supply of red trilium, ferns, so I am hoping ginseng has potential here.

Here are today's pictures. I'm still on the hunt hopefully this gets seen, I don't know how these forums work too well.. You will have to right click and open the link to the picture as they are on flickr. I am having a lot of fun on the hunt and I believe I will find something. A few pictures are from sites where I have planted stratified seeds. I believe I have ideal conditions on a Northwest facing slope, but the plant really is difficult to find.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14338549261/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14155232590/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14155180748/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14341812005/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14340178952/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14341806275/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14155145348/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14155142488/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14338464521/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124240286@N04/14361982843/in/photostream/

No...sorry mtplateau, I don't see any ginseng seedlings in that bunch either. I took some pics of my stuff today and maybe I\"ll get a chance to post them for you sometime tomorrow.

I have a few pics posted in my instructions pages.... http://www.emeraldcastlefarms.com/instructions/plantinginstructions.html