American Ginseng Conservation

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L., Araliaceae) is a long-lived herbaceous plant that is uncommon to rare in eastern deciduous forests of North America. Ginseng is grown worldwide for commercial medicinal use. In the southern Appalachians, however, wild ginseng has been collected for centuries and continues to be harvested, primarily for export to east Asia. Concerns about overharvest has led to its designation by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) as a species at risk of extinction, and caused the US Forest Service to suspend its distribution of ginseng harvest permits in the Pisgah and Nantahala Forests in 2021. Ginseng may be particularly vulnerable to extirpation events because harvesting generally removes larger, older individuals from populations, and plants take at least five years to produce seeds.

In collaboration with Jen Rhode Ward and Jonathan Horton (UNC Asheville), we are analyzing patterns of microsatellite diversity in ginseng populations in western NC to characterize population genetic structure, estimate genetic diversity, test for gene flow among populations, and relate these factors to harvest pressures and population demography.