Partridgeberry Blooming
Posted on in Recent Sightings by Hawk Mountain
Our stewardship team spotted this Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) in bloom while completing restoration work in the forest. This creeping evergreen plant grows low to the ground, no taller than two inches tall. It has small, rounded leaves that are dark green and grow in pairs. The white, four-petaled flowers are fuzzy in appearance and turn into bright red berries after fertilization, which provide food for wildlife. Berries are safe for human consumption, but are relatively tasteless. Leaves can be made into a tea, which Indigenous women use to aid in childbirth. Partridgeberry thrives in sandy soil and is found in forests throughout eastern North America.
Photo by Todd Bauman.