Panax ginseng, a slow‐growing perennial herb, is the most praised and popular traditional medicinal herb. Mountain‐cultivated ginseng (MCG) and cultivated ginseng (CG) both belong to Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer. The market price and medical effects of this popular health product are closely related to its age. It is widely acknowledged that CG is typically harvested after 4–6 years of growth, but MCG is often collected after 10 years. Until now, the age identification of MCG or mountain wild ginseng (MWG) has remained a major challenge. In this study, we established a novel and rapid method for staining xylem vessels with phloroglucinol and identifying the “annual growth rings” of ginseng by utilizing a stereoscope, which serves as a reliable indicator of the age of MCG. Statistical analysis of the ring radius and the ring density of MCG aged from 1 to 20 years shows that the secondary xylem of MCG increases rapidly in the first 3 years but then gradually slows down from 4 to 10 years, and minor fluctuation is observed in the next 10 years. Meanwhile, the space between the growth rings (ring density) becomes increasingly small with age. This straightforward staining approach can reveal the age of MCG with remarkable clarity and can distinguish MCG from CG.Research Highlights A novel rapid staining method for Panax ginseng was established. The age of mountain‐cultivated ginseng (MCG) can be identified by microscopic techniques. MCG and cultivated ginseng (CG) can be discriminated by microstructure characteristics.

Verticillium wilt caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae is found world-wide and attacks a wide range of plants. In the summer of 2001, a wilt disease of Amygdalus communis (sweet almond) cultivated in the Xinjiang municipality in China was first observed. The characteristic symptoms of typical wilt included wilt of leaves and twigs, and brownish discoloration of vascular tissues. Ultimately, the branches and entire trees wilted and died. To identify the causal agent, both traditional and PCRbased methods were attempted.In 2004 and 2005, a Verticillium sp. was isolated from the xylem of diseased branches on potato dextrose agar (PDA). The fungus produced dark colonies on PDA, produced rotiform conidiophores with 2 -4 layers, one-celled colourless olivary conidia, and small black microsclerotia. It was identified as V. dahliae based on morphological characteristics according to the description of Smith (1965). Ribosomal DNA (regions ITS1, 5·8S rDNA and ITS2) was amplified and sequenced (GenBank Accession No. EU109532). Sequence analysis revealed that the fungus isolated from A. communis is identical to a Greek strain of V. dahlia (GenBank Accession No.AF104926).Each of six seedlings of A. communis , approx. about 20 cm high in sterile soil, was inoculated by injecting 20 μ L single-conidial suspension containing 1 × 10 6 conidia mL -1 into the base of the stem. The inoculated seedlings were incubated at 25 ° C. Water-soaked lesions appeared on the leaves of all of the inoculated seedlings after 4 days and then dark brown lesions appeared around the injected sites and spread rapidly upwards. The inoculated seedlings wilted and died after 7 days. The pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated stems. Control seedlings, inoculated with an equal volume of sterile water, remained healthy.The fungus was previously recorded in Xinjiang municipality and other provinces in China infecting many Rosaceae and Malvaceae plants (Tai, 1979), but this is the first report of V. dahliae associated with wilt of A. communis in China. ReferencesSmith HC, 1965. The morphology of Verticillium albo-atrum , V. dahliae , and V. tricorpus .