United Plant Savers is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in Rutland, OH on 379-acre Botanical Sanctuary whose goal is to promote the preservation of native

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...

. The group maintains an "At Risk" list of plants that are considered scarce in the wild in North America, such as

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus ''Panax'', such as Korean ginseng ('' P. ginseng''), South China ginseng ('' P. notoginseng''), and American ginseng ('' P. quinquefolius''), typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides an ...

goldenseal ''For the magazine from West Virginia see Goldenseal (magazine)'' Goldenseal (''Hydrastis canadensis''), also called orangeroot or yellow puccoon, is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to North America. It may be di ...

and

slippery elm ''Ulmus rubra'', the slippery elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. Other common names include red elm, gray elm, soft elm, moose elm, and Indian elm. Description ''Ulmus rubra'' is a medium-sized deciduous tree with a spre ...

. The organization was founded by

Rosemary Gladstar Rosemary Gladstar is an American herbalist. Biography She began her work in herbalism in California, and she founded the California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville, California, the first herbal school in California, in 1978. Gladstar taug ...

and a number of other horticulturists. The organization encourages the creation of private land "botanical sanctuaries" across the country where at risk plants can be preserved and propagated.

References

External links

* {{Official, http://www.unitedplantsavers.org Herbalism organizations Non-profit organizations based in Vermont