Gaultheria

(gaul-te're-ah.) (Bot.) A gen. of plants, O. Ericacese, principally inhabiting the American continent. G. procumbens, a little creeping plant, of the Northern U. States and Canada, grows about five or six inches high. The erect stiff branches bear tufts of shining, evergreen oval leaves at their summits; and the drooping white flowers, produced singly from the bases of the leaves, are succeeded by fleshy bright red berries, formed by the enlargement of the calyx which encloses the true fruit. All parts of this plant, which is commonly called Wintergreen, po e a rather pleasant peculiar aromatic odor and flavor, due to the presence of a volatile oil, which, when separated by distillation, is known as Wintergreen oil. It is of a pale-green color, having the same composition as birch-bark oil, and is employed medicinally as a cordial stimulant. The berries are known as Partridge -berry, Checker-berry, Deerberry, Tea-berry, Box-berry, ., and afford winter food to partridges, deer, and other animals. The plant is likewise called Mountain Tea, its leaves being used as a substitute for tea or for flavoring genuine tea. [s. 398]