Mitchella repens - Partridgeberry

Partridgeberry
Mitchella repens

Charming! Evergreen WNC Native groundcover with itty bitty foliage, itty bitty white fragrant flowers, and itty bitty showy red fruits. These adorable members of the coffee family (Rubiaceae) creep along the soil and root at the nodes. Eventually they can form fairly dense mats. Happiest in organically rich, moist, well-draining soils. They can be somewhat drought tolerant once established, but in order to fully thrive, they'll be happiest with moisture.

These cute little plants are ideal for fairy gardens, forest gardens, native gardens, shade gardens, wildlife gardens, and moist areas near ponds. They are easily nestled among the roots of trees.

The fruits are technically edible, but are tiny and not particularly tasty. They're better left to wildlife. 

🐝Bumblebees and other native bees collect the nectar, and pollinate the flowers.

🐦Birds! These plants help and attract Jays, Mockingbirds, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Waxwings, and more to the garden.

🐢Turtles enjoy the low-growing berries. Turtles are not only adorable, they are helpful to gardeners by eating slugs, snails, and more.

1-3"T x 16"W. 

Partial to full shade.

Zone 3a, cold hardy down to -40F.

💚Plant Nerd: These plants were named after a botanist and physician (and part time geographer) named John Mitchell, who drew the most famous map of America during the colonial era. His map is featured in textbooks and was most recently used to settle a dispute with Canada in the 1980s. John Mitchell also wrote an essay in 1748 on Potash (good for Potassium for plants), during a time when chemistry was much more poorly understood. He was penpals with Carl Linneaus. 

Different Native American tribes have used these plants for a variety of medicinal purposes.