Ginseng 



Ginseng is not rare throughout its entire range but is very rare in the 

 coastal zone and is threatened by commercial exploitation. The root of 

 ginseng is harvested and exported to the Orient. The root is alleged to be an 

 aphrodisiac, to prolong life, to increase mental capacities, and to lessen 

 fatigue. An estimated 221,000 lb (100,500 kg) of ginseng root were exported 

 from the United States to Hong Kong in 1974. Ginseng was dug commercially in 

 Maine during the 1800s and early 1900s and digging ginseng was a common 

 practice among woodsmen, guides, and trappers in the Oakland area (adjacent to 

 region 2) during the 1920s (Eastman 1976a). No data on annual commercial 

 harvest in Maine are available. Ginseng inhabits mature deciduous forests, 

 and is usually found in the shade of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ) , American 

 beech ( Fagus grandifolia ) , basswood ( Tilia americana ) , hop hornbeam ( Ostrya 

 virginiana), or white ash ( Fraxinus americana ) . It has been collected at 14 

 locations in Maine. One of these (Gardiner, region 2) is in the coastal zone 

 where a collection was made by A. R. Norton in 1912. Three others are near 

 region 2 (Clinton, Oakland, and Fayette). The current status of the Gardiner 

 site is unknown because the original collection site was not documented. 



Ginseng reproduction is primarily sexual. Flowers are pollinated by insects. 

 Seeds are dispersed by birds, mammals, and gravity. Generally, ginseng occurs 

 in colonies formed from seeds falling in the immediate vicinity of parent 

 plants. A thick, tuberous root develops after several years. 



Commercial and private plant collecting and lumbering pose the greatest 

 threats to this species. 



Orono Sedge 



Orono sedge, an endemic sedge found only in the Penobscot River valley, is 

 another threatened species. Carex is a large genus of morphologically similar 

 species which are grouped into sections. The Orono sedge is a member of the 

 section Ovales, of which there are 19 species in Maine. The Orono sedge may 

 be of hybrid origin (Gleason and Cronquist 1963) which would prevent its being 

 listed as a threatened species. 



The current distribution of this plant in coastal Maine is unknown. It is 

 probably overlooked by most botanists, who tend to avoid collecting sedges. 

 It was collected in Old Town, Orono, Bangor, Dedham, Frankfort, and 

 Mattawamkeg between 1890 and 1916, and again (1978) in Old Town (personal 

 communication from L. M. Eastman, botanist, Old Orchard Beach, ME.; August, 

 1978). 



The Orono sedge is a wind-pollinated, tufted, perennial that grows in wet and 

 dry fields, meadows, and clearings. It is often found in gravelly substrates. 

 Over-grazing, mowing, and construction are the chief threats to this plant. 



Long's Bitter Cress 



Long's bitter cress is a small biennial or short-lived perennial mustard. 

 According to herbarium specimens, Long's bitter cress grows only on muddy 

 banks of tidal and nontidal estuaries and streams. It is most frequently 

 reported in the freshwater area of tidal estuaries and not along the borders 



20-13 



10-80 



