Appalachia's Most Wanted Plants

With a pound of wild ginseng fetching the equivalent of a week's wages or more, the temptations of "'sanging" on protected lands are readily apparent. But the cure-all root is not the only plant that draws collectors into the woods in the Southeast. Several other species, though not as pricey, are in strong demand for both medicinal and ornamental uses. Here are some of the most popular:

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). Used to treat menopausal symptoms; collection has skyrocketed as baby boomers age. In 1998, one Blue Ridge Parkway ranger seized 1,517 pounds of cohosh roots from a single pickup truck, picked by migrant workers subcontracted by another collector. Approximate value: $15 per dried pound.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). Native Americans and early settlers used bloodroot (above) to treat snakebite, coughs and as a medicine for sick mules. Currently used in toothpaste and cattle feed. Approximate value: $15 per dried pound; $3 per gallon pot as an ornamental.

Galax (Galax aphylla). Picked year-round for the floral industry; more than 100,000 stems of illegally collected galax were seized along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the first six months of 2000 alone. Approximate value: One penny per stem.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). As an insect repellant, laxative, antiseptic and masking agent for heroin users facing urine tests, goldenseal has seen myriad uses through the centuries. Approximate value: $30 per dried pound.

Log moss (Hypnum spp). Used for landscaping and in the floral business; collectors roll moss off of ancient fallen logs like carpet. Officials recently confiscated a tractor-trailer truckload shipped from Tennessee to California. Approximate value: $16 per dried pound.

North Carolina writer Eddie Nickens and Virginia photographer Lynda Richardson bushwacked in the rain through the Great Smoky Mountains last summer with park rangers and botanists in search of ginseng.