A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Mitchella repens
A trailing, evergreen herb with white, fragrant, tubular flowers in pairs. Partridgeberry is a creeping, perennial herb, no taller than 2 in. high. All parts are dainty, including its pairs of small, rounded, evergreen leaves; tiny, trumpet-shaped, pinkish-white flowers; and scarlet berries. Partridge Berry is a member of the Madder Family (Rubiaceae).
Dry or moist woods; stream banks; sandy slopes. This one was observed growing in a southern deciduous forest along the Modoc Trail in the Sumter National Forest near Modoc (McCormick County), SC.
A most attractive woodland creeper with highly ornamental foliage, it can be used as a groundcover under acid-loving shrubs and in terraria in the winter. The common name implies that the scarlet fruits are relished by partridges, and they are consumed by a variety of birds and mammals. Native American women drank a tea made from the leaves as an aid in childbirth.
Spotted on May 17, 2014
Submitted on Dec 28, 2014
No Comments