Panax japonicus Seeds | Japanese Ginseng
LATIN NAME: Panax japonicus
COMMON NAME: Japanese Ginseng
Plant Profile
Japanese Ginseng (Panax japonicus) grows as a low, erect, perennial. Herb steadily grows into a rounded crown, with a mature height of 5-10 metres. Plant it in full sun with deep, fertile ground. It is hard to name another plant that gives this much for this little trouble.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the Panax group, Panax japonicus is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. The Japanese ginseng has a real and distinguished place in the research. The practical point for growers is that this plant has been observed in gardens for so long that its behaviour holds few surprises.
Uses & Benefits
Japanese Ginseng brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Ecologically, the Japanese ginseng is a generous plant of shaded garden. Its small, greenish-white flowers feed many insects, and its small, round, red berries feed birds, while its fine, palmately compound leaves give a neat, fine presence to woodland garden. For a grower, the Japanese ginseng is a rewarding and treasured herb, and for a gardener of shaded places it brings a palmately compound, red-berried herb to woodland garden. Once settled, it thrives on neglect more than on fussing.
Japanese ginseng is the bamboo-ginseng of Japanese and Chinese folk medicine, a gentler cousin used for coughs and tonification in mountain traditions.
Growing from Seed
Raising Japanese Ginseng from seed is straightforward. A simple routine works well: sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, maintain even moisture, and provide full sun. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Japanese Ginseng is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Japanese Ginseng earns its space through character rather than fuss. Moisture matters most while plants are young; established plants cope with far more.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Japanese Ginseng often pair it with these related subjects: