How to tell Panax notoginseng and Aptenia cordifolia apart? A quick guide to distinguishing the two plants

Panax notoginseng and Aptenia cordifolia are two different plants. Panax notoginseng is very familiar to everyone as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, while Aptenia cordifolia is an ornamental plant. Telling these two plants apart is actually fairly easy, as long as you know the corresponding differences. Below, Qinnong Web will introduce them to you.

1. Different families and genera

The most fundamental difference between the two is that they belong to different families and genera; they are not the same kind of plant at all.

Aptenia cordifolia, also called "heart's sun-and-moon flower," is a plant of the family Aizoaceae and the genus Mesembryanthemum. It is native to southern Africa, and in China it is cultivated for ornamental purposes only.

Panax notoginseng, also called Sanqi, is a plant of the family Araliaceae and the genus Panax. It is a precious medicinal herb unique to China, with great medicinal value.

2. Different appearances

Having covered families and genera, many people probably still are not very clear on their differences. After all, we usually distinguish plants by their appearance, so what are the differences in appearance between Panax notoginseng and Aptenia cordifolia?

1. Appearance characteristics of Aptenia cordifolia

The stems of Aptenia cordifolia are very thin but thick and fleshy, bright and verdant in color. The branches have angular ridges, and after extending they become semi-prostrate;

its leaves lie obliquely and are opposite, the leaves are oblong, with many branches and very lush foliage;

the flowers of Aptenia cordifolia are solitary, borne at the tips of branches or in the leaf axils, and most of the petals are red-purple, very gorgeous in color, growing in a spoon shape, with a pale yellow center, shaped like a chrysanthemum, and the flowers are glossy. The flowering period is from spring to autumn, and it lasts a long time.

2. Appearance characteristics of Panax notoginseng

The whole Panax notoginseng plant grows upright, and its leaves have serrated edges, so they are not smooth and flat. The leaves are also thinner, but broader and larger than those of Aptenia cordifolia, and are covered with fine hairs. Its flowers grow in a spherical form, with thick but small petals clustered together, so densely packed that they look like a ball. The flower stalks are very long, each bearing a single flower.

That is the introduction from Qinnong Web to the differences between Panax notoginseng and Aptenia cordifolia. After reading it, do you feel these two plants are easy to tell apart? If you have other ways of distinguishing them, you can tell us too!