Gaultheria ovatifolia
Encyclopedia
Gaultheria ovatifolia is a species of shrub
in the heath family
which is known by the common names western teaberry and Oregon spicy wintergreen. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to California
, where it grows in high mountain forests. This is a small, low shrub with stems only about 35 centimeters in maximum length. The pointed, oval-shaped leaves are 2 to 3 centimeters long and green. The plant bears small, solitary bell-shaped flowers in shades of white to very light pink with reddish bract
s. The flowers hang like tiny bells. The fruit is a red berrylike capsule. It was a food for the Hoh
and Quileute of the Pacific Northwest
.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
in the heath family
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
which is known by the common names western teaberry and Oregon spicy wintergreen. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in high mountain forests. This is a small, low shrub with stems only about 35 centimeters in maximum length. The pointed, oval-shaped leaves are 2 to 3 centimeters long and green. The plant bears small, solitary bell-shaped flowers in shades of white to very light pink with reddish bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. The flowers hang like tiny bells. The fruit is a red berrylike capsule. It was a food for the Hoh
Hoh
Hoh is a Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives on the Pacific Coast of Washington on the Olympic Peninsula. The Hoh moved onto the Hoh Indian Reservation, at the mouth of the Hoh River, on the Pacific Coast of Jefferson County, after the signing...
and Quileute of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
See also
- WintergreenWintergreenWintergreen is a group of plants. Wintergreen once commonly referred to plants that continue photosynthesis throughout the winter...
s - Gaultheria procumbens - eastern teaberry, checkerberry, boxberry or American wintergreen
- Gaultheria humifusaGaultheria humifusaGaultheria humifusa is a species of shrub in the heath family which is known by the common names alpine wintergreen and alpine spicy wintergreen. It is native to western North America, from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist subalpine mountain forests...
- alpine wintergreen