BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Each spring, the woods of Martin County reveal treasures easy to miss unless one looks closely.

From the uncommon yellow lady slipper to prized American ginseng and goldenseal, these native plants rise quietly beneath the hardwoods, reminders that some of Appalachia’s richest beauty blooms in the shade.

Long valued in Eastern Kentucky, ginseng has provided generations of “sangers” with a seasonal source of income. The practice of “sanging” — searching steep, shaded hillsides each fall for mature wild ginseng roots — is part of local life.

Goldenseal carries a similar place in local tradition. Known across the mountains as yellow root, the medicinal herb thrives in rich, moist hardwood forests and is often found in the same shaded habitat as ginseng.

The yellow lady slipper offers a different kind of rarity. Unlike ginseng and goldenseal, it is prized not for its medicinal value but for its brief and striking beauty. The uncommon native orchid appears only for a short time each spring.