Ginseng Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ginseng, including details on american ginseng, panax, benefits, side effects.

Deer browsing and population viability of a forest understory plant.

McGraw JB, Furedi MA

Department of Biology, Post Office Box 6057, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6057, USA. jmcgraw@wvu.edu

American ginseng is the premier medicinal plant harvested from the wild in the United States. In this study, seven populations of ginseng plants were censused every 3 weeks during the growing season over 5 years to monitor deer browse and harvest and to project population growth and viability. The minimum viable population size was approximately 800 plants, a value greater than that of all populations currently being monitored. When simulated deer browsing rates were reduced 50% or more, population viability rose sharply. Without more effective deer population control, ginseng and many other valuable understory herbs are likely to become extinct in the coming century.

Published 11 February 2005 in Science, 307(5711): 920-2.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Ginseng Research Today. All Rights Reserved.