Ginseng seeds (IMAGE) Penn State Caption Forest farmers in Pennsylvania often are planting seeds acquired in online purchases from places outside the state. That germplasm threatens to weaken the gene pool of the plant, which is well adapted to thrive in Appalachian forests. Credit Eric Burkhart, Penn State Usage Restrictions non commerical use only License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.