Wilson County Master Gardener Association

Panax quinquefolius L.

Did you know that 7.5 tons of a controlled substance grows wild in Tennessee, and is certified, harvested, sold then exported every year under the watchful eye of the State of Tennessee Division of Natural Areas?  Can you guess what that substance is?

The future of Wild Ginseng collecting for profit and pleasure in Tennessee Depends on wise conservation. Please help guarantee its future by following wise collecting practices and obeying Tennessee’s Ginseng Harvest and Dealer laws. In order for ginseng to survive in sufficient numbers to allow for continued collection, the plants need to produce and ripen their seeds before they are harvested. Allow young plants to grow.

Wild American ginseng is one of many plant and animal species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora of 1973 (CITES), an international trade agreement which the United States and 134 other nations have signed. The objective of the Convention is to monitor, control, and restrict, as necessary, the international trade of certain wild plant and animal species to prevent adverse impacts to their populations and to insure the continued existence of those species in their natural habitat.

http://www.tn.gov/environment/na/tnginseng.shtml

http://www.tn.gov/environment/na/ginseng.shtml

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