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Ginseng (Panax ginseng)
Photo: FloraFarm GmbH / Katharina Lohrie, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 2 countries perennial

Ginseng

Panax ginseng

Family: Araliaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: South Korea, North Korea.

A slow-growing perennial reaching 60 cm, with palmately compound leaves of five toothed leaflets and an umbel of tiny flowers that develop into bright red berries. The most valuable part is the fleshy, forked root, whose shape resembles a human figure. On plantations it grows in the shade of special canopies, and the best roots are harvested after 4–6 years. Steamed and dried, the root turns reddish – this is red ginseng (hongsam), prized as a tonic.

Description from: South Korea.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. South Korea no. 3 of 10 native

    Korea has been famous for ginseng for centuries, and “Korean ginseng” is a brand recognised throughout Asia; the best-known growing centres are Geumsan, Punggi and Ganghwa Island, and wild mountain ginseng (sansam) fetches staggering…

  2. North Korea no. 4 of 5 native

    Korea has been famous for ginseng for centuries, and the centre of its cultivation and trade was Kaesong – the capital of the Goryeo dynasty; red ginseng from Kaesong is still one of the DPRK’s important exports.