Panax bipinnatifidus Seem.

Known from Sichuan, Xizang and Yunnan provinces of China, northern Burma, northeastern India, and Nepal.

The phylogeny of Panax using the ITS sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA (Wen and Zimmer, 1996; Lee and Wen, 2004). The ITS suggests that the Panax bipinnatifidus, P. ginseng, P. japonicus, P. quinquefolius and P. vietnamensis form a clade. Based on the morphological variation and the phylogenetic relationships, Wen (2001) proposed a classification scheme for Panax, in which Panax bipinnatifidus belong to Subgenus Panax, Section Panax, Series Panax.

Rhizomes creeping and elongated, with slender internodes and subglobose nodes, occasionally with thick internodes. Leaves 3-5; leaflets narrowly elliptic to broadly elliptic, sometimes slightly cleft to bipinnatifid. Umbels solitary or 2-5 clustered, 25-50 flowered. Fruit red with a black top, 1-3 seeded. Seeds white, thick ovate, 3.5-4 mm long, 3-3.5 mm wide, ca. 3 mm thick.

Growing in moist mixed forests or coniferous forests or bamboo thickets or along ravines; alt. 1200-4000 m.

The leaflets of Panax bipinnatifidus may be undivided or variously divided. The division of leaflets is a variable or plastic character. In the same population in Nepal and China, some individuals had undivided leaflets whereas others had somewhat cleft to bipinnatifid leaflets.