Plant Uses

There are all kinds of reasons to use plants.  We eat them, steep them in tea, use them for medicine, make things with them, kill each other with them, dye out clothes with them, enjoy their beauty and treasure their smell.  At the local master naturalist meeting last night we had a speaker talk to us about plants and their uses.  Nancy Sather is an ecologist/biologist with the Department of Natural Resources.  She is an engaging speaker.  She had me sweating for awhile when she started talking about ginseng.  According to her, ginseng should be listed as an endangered plant.  It's been harvested almost out of existence.  The Chinese culture values it for aphrodisiac purposes (which makes me wonder why they need why they need so many aphrodisiacs)?  Since there is political pressure from ginseng diggers, the plant stays off the endangered list.  There are laws about it though.  You don't need a license to dig it but you do need a license to buy it, sell it and transport it.  The harvest season is Sept 1 through Dec. 31.  All harvested plants must have at least 3 prongs with 5 leaflets on each prong.  All seeds must be planted immediately in the same area and covered with 1/2 inch of soil.  Surface litter must be put over the planting site.  So a year and a half ago when I dug up some ginseng from the farm and planted it in my yard, I mostly followed the law.    And I chose a good spot to plant it.  Ginseng takes well to cultivation so I may be able to raise enough in my yard to share with others.  Nancy talked about dozens of plants and had slides and actual samples to pass around the room. Her talk was lively and engaging and she helped us glimpse, just a little, how everything is interconnected.  Magnolia warblers nest only on the lower branches of balsam fir.  Balsam fir is the best material for making wreaths because the needles don't poke the skin.  People who harvest balsam for wreaths take the lower branches because they're the easiest to reach.  I hope that in my life on this planet I make use of the plants in my environment in a sustainable manner.  That is my aim at least.