Survival of replanted American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in Shenandoah National Park
Cutherell D and Cass W. 2024. Survival of replanted American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in Shenandoah National Park. Natural Resource Report. NPS/SHEN/NRR—2024/2637. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2301890
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a perennial herb of eastern deciduous forests that is harvested for medicinal use. Because of the high market value of its roots, ginseng is threatened in much of its range and is a target for poaching in national parks. In Shenandoah National Park, illegally harvested roots confiscated by law enforcement are replanted in the Park to salvage the roots and reestablish ginseng populations. Ninety-five sites where roots were replanted between 1998 and 2017 were surveyed to determine the plants’ survival rate. Population growth was measured as the total number of plants found at each site divided by the number of roots originally replanted. Average population growth across sites was found to be 0.60, or 60% of the number of replanted roots. Ninety-one percent of sites contained at least one plant, and at least 42% contained juvenile plants, indicating that these populations were reproducing. Habitat data collected at each site were analyzed to determine what type of plant communities contained the most successful populations, but the results were inconclusive. Since root condition prior to replanting is likely to be the most important factor in determining survival of replanted roots, basic guidelines were summarized for staff involved in handling ginseng. Twenty-eight 4 x 10 m covert ginseng plots were also resampled 14 years after installation. Plant counts were similar between samples likely indicating consistent poaching pressure.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Cutherell, David; Cass, Wendy
- Date of Issue
- 2024-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2301890
- Units
- NRSS , SHEN
- Keywords
- dye, economic importance, ginseng, marking, mid-atlantic, Panax quinquefolius, planting, poaching, rare plant, re-planting, restoration, root, survival, virginia
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | At-risk Biota | T&E Species and Communities , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Consumptive Use | Consumptive Use