• Photo of Gaultheria procumbens (Gaultheria procumbenss)

Plant Profile: Gaultheria procumbens

Taxonomy: Gaultheria procumbens

Names

American Wintergreen, Boxberry, Checkerberry, Common Wintergreen, Creeping Wintergreen, Eastern teaberry, Spreading Wintergreen, Teaberry, Wintergreen

  • Photo of Gaultheria procumbens (Gaultheria procumbenss)

Phonetic Spelling:gol-THAIR-ee-ah pro-KUM-benz

Genus:Gaultheria

Species:procumbens

Family:Ericaceae

Eastern Teaberry is a low-growing plant belonging to the blueberry family, typically found in hardwood forests that offer light to moderate shade and have acidic soil. It thrives in moist, organically rich soil as well as clay. This plant serves as an excellent ground cover in shaded areas of your garden. It can be effectively planted in rock gardens, woodland settings, or alongside building foundations. When the leaves are crushed, they emit a pleasant wintergreen scent. While plants can be spaced 10 to 14 inches apart, they tend to spread and create a lush, dense carpet over time. The round, fleshy scarlet seed capsules produced by the plant provide nourishment for various birds and small animals.

Regarding pests and diseases, Eastern Teaberry generally faces no significant issues. However, it may occasionally attract aphids and thrips, and can be susceptible to mildew and leaf spot diseases.

Gaultheria procumbens Feature Summary

Gaultheria procumbens Image Gallery

Tags

#fragrant
#evergreen
#understory
#fragrant flowers
#white flowers
#wildlife plant
#low maintenance
#spring flowers
#winter interest
#playground
#food source
#NC native
#creeping
#mat
#glossy leaves
#foundation planting
#edible fruits
#fall fruits
#rock gardens
#native groundcover
#leathery leaves
#food source summer
#food source winter
#food source fall
#early summer flowers
#food source herbage
#bird friendly
#mammals
#food source soft mast fruit
#FACU Piedmont Mountains
#FACU Coastal
#fall color purple
#fruits winter
#audubon
#woodlands
#heavy shade tolerant

Similar Plants

Gaultheria procumbens Feature Summary

Attributes
Leaves were once used to make tea though it is no longer recommended. It was also used to treat arthtic pain and sore muscles. The leaves and fruit produce an oil that has been used as medicine, as well as in candies and chewing gum.
Canada, North Central and Eastern U.S.A.
Fruits are eaten by many wildlife from birdes to small mammals.
Heat, drought, and soil compaction tolerant.
Leaves and fruits are used to make wintergreen oil which is used in gum, canyd and toothpaste. Fruits can be eaten raw or cooked in desserts or salads.
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Wildlife Food Source
Attractive Flowers
Fruit
Fruit forms as a berry-like capsule with a large fleshy red edible caly 3/8". Displays from September to November.
Red/Burgundy
< 1 inch
Flowers
Small, pinkish-white, waxy urn-shaped flowers bloom from June to August, which form at the base of the leaves.
Pink
White
< 1 inch
Leaves
New growth is light green with a wine-colored tinge. Simple, entire margin ellipitcal to oblog glossy dark green leaves turn purple in the fall. They smell and taste like wintergreen.
Elliptical
Oblong
1-3 inches
Glossy
Leathery
Whole Plant Traits
Native Plant
Ground Cover
Erect
Spreading
Creeping
Cultural Conditions
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Acid (<6.0)
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasionally Dry
12 inches-3 feet
Less than 12 inches
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
3a
3b
Landscape
Rock Garden
Winter Garden
Native Garden
Foundation Planting
Woodland
Naturalized Area
Songbirds
Small Mammals

Gaultheria procumbens Attributes

Gaultheria procumbens: Uses (Ethnobotany)

Leaves were once used to make tea though it is no longer recommended. It was also used to treat arthtic pain and sore muscles. The leaves and fruit produce an oil that has been used as medicine, as well as in candies and chewing gum.

Gaultheria procumbens: Country Or Region Of Origin

Canada, North Central and Eastern U.S.A.

Gaultheria procumbens: Wildlife Value

Fruits are eaten by many wildlife from birdes to small mammals.

Gaultheria procumbens: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)

Heat, drought, and soil compaction tolerant.

Gaultheria procumbens: Edibility

Leaves and fruits are used to make wintergreen oil which is used in gum, canyd and toothpaste. Fruits can be eaten raw or cooked in desserts or salads.

Gaultheria procumbens: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Gaultheria procumbens: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Gaultheria procumbens: Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Gaultheria procumbens Fruit

Gaultheria procumbens: Fruit Description

Fruit forms as a berry-like capsule with a large fleshy red edible caly 3/8". Displays from September to November.

Gaultheria procumbens: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Gaultheria procumbens: Fruit Color

grass
Red/Burgundy

Gaultheria procumbens: Fruit Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Gaultheria procumbens: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Gaultheria procumbens: Fruit Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Gaultheria procumbens: Fruit Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Gaultheria procumbens Flowers

Gaultheria procumbens: Flower Description

Small, pinkish-white, waxy urn-shaped flowers bloom from June to August, which form at the base of the leaves.

Gaultheria procumbens: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Pink
filter_vintage
White

Gaultheria procumbens: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Gaultheria procumbens: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Gaultheria procumbens: Flower Shape

Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel

Gaultheria procumbens: Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Gaultheria procumbens Leaves

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Description

New growth is light green with a wine-colored tinge. Simple, entire margin ellipitcal to oblog glossy dark green leaves turn purple in the fall. They smell and taste like wintergreen.

Gaultheria procumbens: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Gaultheria procumbens: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color

spa
Purple/Lavender

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Gaultheria procumbens: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Feel

Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy

Gaultheria procumbens: Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Gaultheria procumbens Whole Plant Traits

Gaultheria procumbens: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Gaultheria procumbens: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Gaultheria procumbens: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Gaultheria procumbens: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Gaultheria procumbens: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Gaultheria procumbens: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Gaultheria procumbens Cultural Conditions

Gaultheria procumbens: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Gaultheria procumbens: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Gaultheria procumbens: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Gaultheria procumbens: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Gaultheria procumbens: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Gaultheria procumbens: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
3a
thermostat
3b
thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b

Gaultheria procumbens Stem

Gaultheria procumbens: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Gaultheria procumbens Landscape

Gaultheria procumbens: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Gaultheria procumbens: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Gaultheria procumbens: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Gaultheria procumbens: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Gaultheria procumbens: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees