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- Flowers
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- Flower buds
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- Habit
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- Fruit
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- Fall fruit persists into winter
Scientific Name:
Mitchella repens
Common Name:
Partridgeberry
Scientific Name Pronounciation:
my-CHEL-luh REE-penz
Plant Type:
Groundcover
Plant Hardiness Zones:
3-8
Plant Hardiness Zone(s):
Usual Size:
1-2 in. H X 15-18 in. W
Flower:
Small, waxy white or pale pink trumpet-shaped flowers are borne in pairs on the end of slender stems; four-lobed flowers are fuzzy on the inside and smooth on the outside; the ovaries of each pair are united forming a single berry
Bloom Time Notes:
Summer
Leaf:
Evergreen; small (1/2 to 3/4 inch), opposite, rounded leaves are leathery, dark green with white midvein above and pale green beneath.
Fruit:
Brilliant scarlet waxy berries in fall; 1/4 to 3/8 inch across; the two dimples on the fruit reveal its fused nature; persists through winter.
Wildlife:
Wildlife eats the fruit.
Natural Habitat:
Dry or moist shady woods
Propagation:
Cuttings; division; layering
Bloom Time:
Sun or Shade:
Companion Plants:
Cultural Notes:
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) grows in shade to partial shade; rich humusy soil; prefers consistent moisture; grows well under trees and large shrubs; easily smothered by heavy buildup of leaves.
Fragrant; wonderful dainty ground cover for shady gardens; the berries stay on the plant until the next flowering season; although it is a vine, it never climbs and is often covered with fall leaves.
Other Common Names: Twinberry, Squaw Vine, Deerberry, Winter Clover, Oneberry, Twin-Flower, Two-Eyed Berry