PANAX QUINQUEFOLIUS

This member of the Araliaceae family was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is found in eastern North America, from Quebec to Manitoba, south to northern Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma. It grows in a rich soil with some water and some sun. The caudex will grow to four centimetres in four to five years. The plant gets up to 50 centimetres high. The flowers are green with a little white, the seeds bright red. The name is found in two ways of spelling. It has been debated whether the specific epithet should end with the masculine "us" (P. quinquefolius) or the neuter "um" (P. quinquefolium). While some argue for the neuter ending as it appeared in the work of Linnaeus, according to Graham (1966) and Tucker et al. (1989), the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (article 76) dictates that this specific epithet must be treated as a masculine, thus should be Panax quinquefolius. I go with Linnaeus first given name. Panax is Greek: pan meaning ' all ', and akos means ' cure '. A great medicine plant, it seems.