who knows what this is?

I started paying attention a few years ago and right around april 20 seems to be the magic number around here, at least at my elevation.

Polk?

Poke weed would be my guess also?

Thanks for the pictures I have never seen it in that stage cool stuff.

It would be hard to id if I didn't know where that already was. Still have to look hard for it to find it this small

That's a first for me too. Never seen it that small.

I could be nuts, but, it looks like a piece of Northern Ginseng to me. Looks like the flower head in the center of the plant. I have never seen poke that looked like that coming out of the ground. Maybe the Poke in my country looks different than yours.

Looks a lot more like young ginseng than any poke weed I've ever seen.

Its ginseng

Ain't nothing young about that Ginseng. The reason I posted like I did was because a couple fellas said it looked like poke. Maybe it was an inside joke, I am kinda slow sometimes. The reason it looks like Northern Seng is because of the advanced stage of the flower bud in the center of the plant. Ginseng that comes from The central part of the country does not come up with a flower bud that looks anything like that. That Ginseng should start getting ripe berries on it by late July or early august. Our Seng around the central part of the country never has ripe seed until at least the last week of august to the second week of September. Is that typical wild Seng or is that a Northern strain of Seng.

Don as far as I know its wild sang from western north Carolina, which ever strain that might be. The first picture is of a smaller 3 prong if my memory serves me correct, and the last is a dandy 4 prong that I will probably dig this season, if no body beats me to it. No inside joke, just wanted to see if any one else knew what it really was. The only bad part about scouting out sang before digging season is finding a nice bunch or 2, then going back when season opens to find someone has already dug it

Do you have any Goldenseal in your area? I could use large amts. of that and the Goldenseal Herb.

Don Ive never messed with the golden seal. Ive heard some old timers talk about it so im thinking its around but I really wouldn't know what to look for. My dad got my brother and I started on sang when we were young but that's the only thing we've ever messed with. Any tips on the golden seal such as likely locations? Any pics?

.....I should have said newly emerged for the year. It is obviously old, if it is ginseng.

Type into a search engine and it will give picture.

Gryhkl, it is ginseng. Some young, some old

I planted a couple pounds of goldenseal last year. It looked to be doing great until we got rain nearly every day for a month. I wanted to replant this spring but got busy with to many other projects. How well does fall planting for 'seal work, Don.

It should do ok. You know that you can cut a piece of goldenseal into pieces to plant it? Every place there is a place that it shows a good knot on the root, it can be cut leaving the knot on the piece you plant. Personally I would not cut the roots any smaller than a 1/2 inch long. Try a few pieces and mark then to see what it does for you.;

Don, what kind of strains of ginseng are there? You mentioned northern, what other kinds are there? Or is it just regional differences

There is basically 2 different typs. I can't spell the dang latin names. One is American Ginseng and the other is Chinese Ginseng. Then there is the northern variety of the American type and the more central version of the American type. Then of course you have all, the woodsgrown type and the pure cultivated type and the type that is woods grown but more on the wild side and that is called simulated wild. This is all the American type that has been raised by people growing ginseng.

Ive heard the terms wild simulated and woodsgrown, just never the northern and central versions. Thanks

very informative post,thanx Don.

I can say for sure its not poke weed grew up eating it that ain't it

Always heard it called "in the curl" at that stage.

It's ginseng