Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Also known as: Eastern Teaberry
Classic evergreen woodland groundcover. Glossy oval leaves smell of wintergreen when crushed (source of the flavor before synthetics). Bright red berries persist all winter — minty, edible in small amounts. That flavor is methyl salicylate, chemically close to aspirin, so keep quantities modest and skip it entirely if aspirin disagrees with you; the distilled essential oil is toxic in quantity and is not a food at all. Needs acidic well-drained soil.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.25–0.5 ft
- Spacing
- 0.5–1 ft apart
- Light
- part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- June, July, August
- Bloom colors
- white, pink
- Wildlife value
- mammals, songbirds
- Landscape uses
- foundation, naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV