No abstract

Interest in the cultivation of goldenseal is increasing and this may have benefits for agriculture, human health, and conservation. To enable a better understanding of growing conditions, cultivation methods reported in the literature were reviewed, 21 natural goldenseal populations in the northern portion of its natural range in North America were described and analyzed in terms of population size and health, and 15 successful growers were interviewed on requirements for optimal cultivation. Growing conditions in the wild were compared to those reported in the cultivation literature. Summary of data from natural populations suggests goldenseal grows best in mixed hardwood forests, under 60–65% shade, in moist sandy loam soils high in organic matter, with pH 5.7 to 6.3. Similarly, review of the literature suggests that goldenseal grows best in moist, well-drained loams high in organic matter, with pH 5.5 to 6.5. Reported shade requirements vary but 47–80% shade is considered optimal. Growing conditions reported by growers were also consistent with the cultivation literature and similar to conditions of wild populations. Although optimal growing conditions are similar to those for many crops, goldenseal is relatively robust and can grow well in a variety of conditions including wet, predominantly sandy or clay soils with pH as low as 4.8 and as high as 7.8. Cultivation can utilize a ginseng crop infrastructure and goldenseal has been recommended as a rotation crop for ginseng. Commercial production of goldenseal is potentially advantageous because (1) it is an environmentally friendly crop; (2) it has been grown successfully far outside its natural range, is easy to grow, and is considered potentially profitable; and (3) it is relatively inexpensive, having low energy, land area, and fertilization requirements. Development of a sustainable crop may contribute to the protection of native wild germplasm, which can provide valuable material for crop improvement.

Having evolved in an environment with large, severe, and frequent disturbances, including massive floods, fires, and impacts of extinct and extirpated fauna, woodland herbs may be adapted to such disturbance processes. Present lack of such disturbances may contribute to present rarity. We test the hypothesis that transplanting with disturbance simulation can be used to restore the threatened woodland herb, Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal). Three disturbance‐simulation treatments (soil turnover, fertilization, and both) and a control were randomly applied to 100 blocks in goldenseal habitat, and a single rhizome was transplanted into each treatment. Transplanting was effective with 85% of the transplants surviving, 41% flowering, and 34% fruiting; thus, transplanting may increase area of occupancy. Soil turnover alone and combined with fertilization caused a significant increase in plant size available to support production of fruit. Increased flower and significantly increased fruit production were also characteristic of soil‐turned plots. Results support the hypothesis that some woodland herbs are rare due to lack of certain disturbance, call for consideration of soil disturbance as a potentially important and beneficial influence on woodland herbs regardless of light effects, and suggest that transplanting into soil‐overturned plots may restore goldenseal. The assumption that undisturbed conditions are optimal may impede effective management of rare woodland flora, highlighting the need for a more flexible approach.

This paper tests the hypothesis that disturbance simulation is beneficial for restoration of Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal) 2 years after a disturbance event. This takes into account possible delay in resource allocation to reproduction. At five deciduous woodland sites in Ontario, Canada, three disturbance simulation treatments, fertilization, soil turnover, fertilization 1 soil turnover, and a control were randomly applied to experimental blocks in 1999. Seeds and mature rhizomes were transplanted into each treatment plot. Seed production and seedlings were recorded in 2001. Transplants were measured and flowers and fruit recorded in 2000 and 2001. Soil turnover and fertilization 1 soil turnover significantly increased the production of flowers and fruit in the second year after disturbance, contrasting with lack of significance in the first year. The effect on plant size was opposite, with significantly increased cover in the first year but not the second. Soil turnover 1 fertilization significantly increased seed production. The disturbance treatments did not have a significant effect on number or presence of seedlings possibly due to extraordinary drought conditions. Consideration of second-year results strongly suggests that (1) substrate disturbance, in addition to canopy gaps, is an important factor in woodland herb ecology; (2) certain woodland herbs may be rare due to lack of specific disturbances which were more prevalent in the past; and (3) mature woodlands may require management, involving disturbance simulation, for the protection and restoration of certain rare woodland flora.