creeping snowberry

Gaultheria hispidula is an evergreen prostrate shrub that forms a mat of stems and leaves that can reach 1 m (3+1⁄2 ft) in diameter and only 10 centimetres (3.9 in) high. The small leaves, which are under 1 cm (0.39 in) long, are arranged alternately along the stems. The stem and undersides of the leaves are covered with stiff hairs. The pale green-white flowers typically bloom between May and June, with fruits ripening between August and September. The flowers develop on short, nodding stalks in the axils of the leaves. Each bell-shaped flower is composed of four sepals and four petals that are fused at the base. The petals end in slightly flared lobes. Like other species of Gaultheria, the flowers are bisexual, containing eight short stamens that do not extend past the corolla. The fruits are capsules, surrounded by a persistent, fleshy white calyx giving it them the appearance of a small white berry. The surface of the fruits are also covered by short dark-red bristles. The fruit is edible and has an acidic, or wintergreen-like, taste.

Gaultheria hispidula grows in acidic and neutral soils in open woodland and forest verges, particularly on wet ground such as in or on the edge of bogs, often near tree stumps. Its original range spread from far northern Canada to as far south as North Carolina, but it has been extirpated from the southerly portions of its original range.

It is pollinated by solitary bees, bumblebees, bee-flies, and hoverflies, while chipmunks and deer mice spread the seed.

The Algonquin people use an infusion of the leaves as a tonic for overeating. They also use the fruit as food. The Anticosti use it as a sedative, and the Mi'kmaq decoct the leaves or the whole plant for an unspecified purpose. The Ojibwa people use the leaves to make a beverage. Etymologist Frederic Cassidy hypothesized that such medicinal uses of the "moxie-plum", or another similarly-named plant, inspired the name of the 1870s patent medicine and later soft drink Moxie. The leaves can be cooked as a vegetable. The fruits can be eaten raw, baked, or used to make jam.

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