Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Tiny

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

A low, creeping evergreen shrub of the forest floor with glossy oval leaves and bright red berries. Crushing the leaves or berries releases the smell of wintergreen, the source of methyl salicylate used to flavor gum and candy before synthetic versions took over.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Ericales

Family

Ericaceae

Genus

Gaultheria

Species

Gaultheria procumbens