Taxon: Panax quinquefolius L.

Summary

Genus:

Panax

Subgenus:

Panax

Section:

Panax

Series:

Panax

Family:

Araliaceae

Subfamily:

Aralioideae

Nomen number:

26381

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:1058. 1753 "quinquefolium"

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

07/27/2005 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

3 (2 active, 0 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Panax quinquefolius L. var. quinquefolius

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Aralia quinquefolia (L.) Decne. & Planch.
Aralia quinquefolia (L.) Decne. & Planch. var. quinquefolia

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Aureliana canadensis Lafit., nom. inval.
Panax americanus (Raf.) Raf.
Panax quinquefolius L. var. americanus Raf.

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

CITES Appendix II – Vulnerable to Extinction

CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Brown, R. G. & M. L. Brown. 1984. Herbaceous plants of Maryland
Browne, E. T. & R. Athey. 1992. Vascular plants of Kentucky: an annotated checklist
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
Deam, C. C. 1940. Flora of Indiana.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Duke, J. A. 1985. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, ed. 2
Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
Hu, S. Y. 1976. The genus Panax (ginseng) in Chinese medicine. Econ. Bot. 30:14.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Mitchell, R. S., ed. 1986. A checklist of New York state plants. New York State Mus. Bull. 458
Mohlenbrock, R. H. & D. M. Ladd. 1978. Distribution of Illinois vascular plants
Ohio Flora Committee (E. L. Braun, T. S. Cooperrider, T. R. Fisher, J. J. Furlow). 1967-. The vascular flora of Ohio.
Ownbey, G. B. & T. Morley. 1991. Vascular plants of Minnesota: a checklist and atlas
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada, 4 vol.
Seymour, F. 1969. The flora of New England.
Small, E. 1997. Culinary herbs. Note: NRC Research Press, Ottawa
Smith, A. C. 1944. Araliaceae. In: Britton, N. L. et al., eds. ser. 1; C. T. Rogerson, ed. ser. 2, North American flora 28B:9. Note: ser. 1, 1905-1957; ser. 2, 1954-1972
Smith, E. B. 1978. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas
Steyermark, J. A. 1977. Flora of Missouri.
Voss, E. 1972-. Michigan flora.
Wen, J. 2001. Species diversity, nomenclature, phylogeny, biogeography, and classification of the ginseng genus (Panax L., Araliaceae). In: Punja, Z. K., ed., Utilization of biotechnological, genetic and cultural approaches for North American and Asian ginseng improvement. Proceedings of the International Ginseng Workshop 69.
Wherry, E. T. et al. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania.
Wofford, B. E. Database of Tennessee vascular plants (on-line resource).
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	American ginseng	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	ginseng	1	Duke, J. A. 1985. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
English	Occidental ginseng	1	Wen, J. 2001. Species diversity, nomenclature, phylogeny, biogeography, and classification of the ginseng genus (Panax L., Araliaceae). In: Punja, Z. K., ed., Utilization of biotechnological, genetic and cultural approaches for North American and Asian ginseng improvement. Proceedings of the International Ginseng Workshop 69.
English	sang	1	1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
English	sheng	1	Small, E. 1997. Culinary herbs. Note: NRC Research Press, Ottawa
French	ginseng d'Amérique	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	amerikanischer Ginseng	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	kanadischer Ginseng	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Swedish	amerikansk ginseng	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Chinese	xi yang shen	2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Eastern Canada	Canada	Ontario		Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada, 4 vol.
1	Native	Northern America	Eastern Canada	Canada	Québec	s.w.	Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada, 4 vol.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Illinois		Mohlenbrock, R. H. & D. M. Ladd. 1978. Distribution of Illinois vascular plants
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Iowa		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Minnesota	s.	Ownbey, G. B. & T. Morley. 1991. Vascular plants of Minnesota: a checklist and atlas
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Missouri		Steyermark, J. A. 1977. Flora of Missouri.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Nebraska	e.	McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma	e.	McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	South Dakota	e.	McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Wisconsin		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Connecticut		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Indiana		Deam, C. C. 1940. Flora of Indiana.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maine		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Massachusetts		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Michigan		Voss, E. 1972-. Michigan flora.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New Hampshire		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New Jersey		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New York		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Ohio		Ohio Flora Committee (E. L. Braun, T. S. Cooperrider, T. R. Fisher, J. J. Furlow). 1967-. The vascular flora of Ohio.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Pennsylvania		Wherry, E. T. et al. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Vermont		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	West Virginia		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Alabama		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas		Smith, E. B. 1978. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Delaware		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Georgia		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Kentucky		Browne, E. T. & R. Athey. 1992. Vascular plants of Kentucky: an annotated checklist
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maryland		Brown, R. G. & M. L. Brown. 1984. Herbaceous plants of Maryland
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	North Carolina		Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Tennessee		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Virginia		Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	China	China			Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae

Native
Northern America

EASTERN CANADA: Canada [Québec (s.w.), Ontario]
NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia]
NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota (s.), Missouri, Nebraska (e.), Oklahoma (e.), South Dakota (e.), Wisconsin]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia]

Cultivated
Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China

Reference(s)

Brown, R. G. & M. L. Brown. 1984. Herbaceous plants of Maryland
Browne, E. T. & R. Athey. 1992. Vascular plants of Kentucky: an annotated checklist
Deam, C. C. 1940. Flora of Indiana.
Govaerts, R. & D. G. Frodin. 2004. World checklist and bibliography of Araliaceae
McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Mohlenbrock, R. H. & D. M. Ladd. 1978. Distribution of Illinois vascular plants
Ohio Flora Committee (E. L. Braun, T. S. Cooperrider, T. R. Fisher, J. J. Furlow). 1967-. The vascular flora of Ohio.
Ownbey, G. B. & T. Morley. 1991. Vascular plants of Minnesota: a checklist and atlas
Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.
Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada, 4 vol.
Smith, E. B. 1978. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas
Steyermark, J. A. 1977. Flora of Missouri.
Voss, E. 1972-. Michigan flora.
Wherry, E. T. et al. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Food additives	flavoring		Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Materials	gum/resin	used in various cosmetics	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Materials	lipids	used in various cosmetics	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicines	folklore		Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=26381. Accessed 12 May 2026.