Is this Ginseng (photos included)?

Question

I live in southern Ontario, Canada. I found these plants in a forest.

The leaf arrangement, leaf number, leaf edge, and leaf shape matches what Ginseng looks like in identification photos.

What doesn't exactly match, though, is the three big leaves aren't on little stems, and the two smaller leaves on the bottom don't join in the same spot as the other three. The root also looks a little different than in identification photos, and it doesn't have berries, but that's because they probably fell off.

Here are my photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34547994@N02/3913515155/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34547994@N02/3914300944/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34547994@N02/3914301870/

And if it's not Ginseng, what is it?

Answer 1

No, that isn't ginsing: http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dginseng%26fr%3Dush-ans&w=307&h=418&imgurl=www.virtualinsectary.com%2Fimages%2Fp_quinquefolia.jpeg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.virtualinsectary.com%2Fplants%2Fplant_29.htm&size=147k&name=p+quinquefolia+j...&p=ginseng&oid=0a97de99274ca494&fr2=&no=20&tt=171726&sigr=11jsm112v&sigi=11jm4821i&sigb=12i7equkb



Could be hickory: http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dhickory%2Btree%2Bleaves%26rs%3D1%26fr%3Dush-ans&w=800&h=600&imgurl=www.cirrusimage.com%2FTrees%2Fshagbark_hickory_leaves.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cirrusimage.com%2Ftree_shagbark_hickory.htm&size=99k&name=shagbark+hickory...&p=hickory+tree+leaves&oid=04dca4ea5cb0257e&fr2=&no=1&tt=236&sigr=11kpfd686&sigi=11lgkdn8q&sigb=12ijk7krt

Answer 2

I don't know what you actually have there but I don't think it is ginseng.. Here is a link and if you scroll down to where the Youtube video is, you can watch 3 or 4 good vid's on what it looks like and how to harvest.. Your right when you say that all 5 leaflets do not join at the same node (a characteristic of ginseng). These videos will show this... Here is the link... scroll down to watch the videos...



http://www.wikihow.com/Hunt-for-Wild-Ginseng



...Billy Ray

Answer 3

Ginseng doesn't look much like your photo, Ginseng has five leaflets joined in the centre, not a number of opposite leaflets. Yours might be spikenard (see links below for spikenard and ginseng).



In any event, ginseng is an endangered plant in Ontario and it is illegal to dig it. In future, take a field guide along and identify plants before you dig them.



Do you own the land from which you dug the plant? If not you didn't "find" the plant, you stole it.

Answer 4

I agree with reynwater; possibly Hickory, maybe Walnut. Definitely not Ginseng. Look around the area to see if there are either hickory nuts or walnuts on the ground. If there are, you probably have the same growing.



Good luck and enjoy!

Answer 5

3 year old ginseng has 5 leaves on 3 prongs.

See photo in link.

http://www.wildgrown.com/

You better check to make sure of the Canadian laws on ginseng in the wild. The USA it's a crimminal offense (in Missouri and some other states) to take it from the wild because it's endangered.

Missouri USA resident

Answer 6

Read this



http://www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/plantpage/flora/ginseng/

Answer 7

It looks like sumac