Wikijunior:Summer Flowers of Northern New England/Gaultheria procumbens

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
Ripe berries	Bell-shaped flowers
Description: Wintergreen is an evergreen plant that stays close to the ground. It grows in shady forests. The white, bell-shaped flowers appear in early July. They hang below the leaves. As with many broad-leaf evergreens, the leaves are dark green and leathery. They have smooth edges. Quick Facts: Wintergreen is used as a flavoring. The berries and leaves are edible and have a refreshing, minty taste. The berries stay on the plant until new flowers appear, meaning they are on the plant almost year-round. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about collecting wintergreen berries by digging them out of the snow in the early spring.	The berries swell as they get older.