TOPIC: A few pictures of plants and flower spikes from today 6/3/2011

TNhunter

Boy, Billy's plants are truely unique compared to the plants we're used to seeing.

classicfur

Right on Billy's plants being a bit unique (berry stem wise) compared to what I normally see around here in Middle TN, and sounds like where you guys are Latt and Classicfur.

But now if you look at the Seng Plant on the front cover of Scott Persons book - it looks like Billy's plants.

The Berry stem is 3-4 inches taller than the leaf clusters.

Around here we hardly ever find one where the berry cluster is up higher than the leaf sets, in fact most are way down below the leaf sets and sort of hidden unless you catch a view at just the right angle.

Plants with those tall berry stems like Billy's would sure be easier to find when the berries were red - sort of like a neon sign screaming out \"HERE I AM\" !!!

TNhunter

Tn and Classicfur,
Here is my theory on exceptionally long flower/seed stems. For some reason the ginseng in that area has evolved long flower/seed stems for a reason. That sang has been evolving in the mountains for thousands of years in that area. Perhaps the local mountain ginseng plants that had slightly taller seed stems in the beginning were pollinated better. Over hundreds and hundreds and even thousands of years the plants with the taller seed stems were more successful.

Therefore these more successful plants continue to pass on their genetics over and over. Evidently these ginseng plants with taller flower/seed stems have presented themselves better to insects that pollinate ginseng in that area.

Perhaps the plants with taller seed stems as TNhunter stated above screamed out \"HERE I AM\" to birds, deer, turkey, mice etc. Those plants seeds got eaten and then eventually passed and these seed may have been spread throughout the woods better that ginseng producing seed without those tall flower/seed stem traits.

I know many of you are woodsman and nature lovers and are already familiar with this line of thinking. So you know I am right even thou I am not a scientist. lol
Latt

Hey Guys,

A while back I was looking for pics of asian ginseng online and found this one with a image search.



Leaves are quite different with the 3 larger leaves up front being very long and the berry stems are much more like Billy's mountain plants - extra long berry stems.

Notice 5 prongs on that one up front there.

That sure looks like a ideal place for it to be growing and I also noticed my friend the old maidenhair fern growing in with them.

TNhunter

Here is a couple more pics I found that are quite interesting.

Roots that evidently sold for 250K and 400K.

I could stand to harvest and sell at that price a few of those

TNhunter

Just a few of those and I could retire from my regular job and start senging, hunting, fishing, gardening, etc full time,

TNhunter

I have seen that pic before. Sure makes you wonder about genetics. I had heard than true Asian Panax Ginseng had possibly been planted on the our continent many many years ago. I wonder if it may have cross pollinated with American ginseng back in the day or if that is even possible?
Latt

Here is one of the plants I transplanted from my seed bed to another better seed bed.




Out of 20 nice roots only 3 survived from the original seed bed. The first year all came up after transplanting. This year only 3 came up. So I moved them. I dug the ginseng bed up to see if I could find the other roots and they were no where to be found. Must have rotted and they sure didn't like the soil on that spot. This was the planting bed showing some nice roots that I had posted a long time ago. It was a small area out back in one part of a shade garden. I will never put sang in that spot again. The plants never looked healthy after they came up.

I have another spot where I put the three that survived. The soil is rich and loamy with years of decomposed leaf litter that I have added each year.

I am going to get a nice bunch of wild seeds off this plant in my shade garden.
Latt

The camera phone is long overdue to be replaced. Sorry about the fuzzy pic. I should get over a hundred nice wild seng seeds off this one plant.
Latt

Oops that was the same darn pic.