(Reprinted from the October 26, 2001 Suburban News.)

As I started cutting next winter’s wood, I noticed the bright little red berry called a partridge-berry. It’s a little-noticed berry located on a creeping stem with small, paired, roundish evergreen leaves often nearly buried by pine needles or leaves.

These berries are edible but are tasteless. They look great in a salad though. I always describe them as tasting like last Christmas’ old red candles.

They are native to North America and can be found in any cool woodland in the east and have been found high in the mountains of Virginia. The only other place they can be found is in Japan.

The plant makes an excellent ornamental for growing in terrariums indoors.

Their scientific name Mitchella refers to an early Virginia botanist by the name of John Mitchell.

The plant flowers from April through June. The flowers are borne in pairs at the ends of the branches. The flowers are white with four petals.

The evergreen leaves of the wintergreen are delicious in the spring. To hikers, chewing on these leathery leaves will quench a thirst.

Through wintergreen oil can come from these leaves; it would take a ton of leaves to make one pound of oil. Because of that wintergreen oil is made from birch and made synthetically. The plant is eaten by many animals including bobwhites, ruffed grouse, pheasants, deer, and even my friendly chipmunks.

My family used to mix both of these red berries with blueberries to make an attractive lattice pie.

Beware! Don’t eat red berries from these bushes this time of year; as they may be toxic.