XVI International Botanical Congess

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) is a rare herbaceous perennial threatened by overharvesting. I determined age structure (based on annual stem scars on rhizomes) and size structure (based on leaf number) of ginseng populations in an intact old growth forest watershed preserve. Overall, plants ranged in age from 1-26 years and had from 1-3 leaves. In three populations studied, plants with one leaf ranged from 38-62% of the population and had an average age of 1-4 years, two leaf plants comprised from 25-39% of the population and averaged 5-6 years, and plants with three leaves ranged from 13-35% of the population and averaged 8-9 years. In spite of no trespassing signage, patrols for trespassers and rugged terrain, there was evidence of ginseng harvesting, thereby demonstrating the difficulty of preventing poaching by ginseng diggers.