Telephone: 717-263-9226
http://extension.psu.edu/franklin
Folks
of a certain age will probably remember the Teaberry Shuffle, a simple dance
featured in a series of commercials of the 1960's promoting Clarke's Teaberry
chewing gum. But did you know that the source of that familiar, Wintergreen
flavor is the native groundcover, Gaultheria procumbens, or Eastern
Teaberry, and is a welcome addition to any shade, or rock garden to add winter
interest.
The
genus was named for Dr. Gaultier, a Canadian naturalist and physician of the
middle 1700's. Procumbrens comes from the Latin verb procumbere to fall
forwards, referring to its prostrate, or creeping along the ground form.
According to a Rutgers University fact sheet, the Massachusetts explorer,
Jonathan Carver wrote about it in his Travels
Through the Interior Parts of North America in the Years 1766, 1767, and 1768,
first published in 1778, describing it “in winter it is full of red
berries about the size of a sloe [small fruit of the blackthorn], which are
smooth and round; these are preserved during the severe season by the snow, and
are at that time in the highest perfection. The Indians eat these
berries, esteeming them very balsamic and invigorating to the stomach”.
Eastern
Teaberry is a spreading, evergreen, shrub which only grows 4 to 8 inches tall.
It spreads primarily through underground stems (rhizomes), sending up two to
six inch branches each bearing 1-2 inch oval, shiny, dark green leaves which
turn reddish in the cold weather. Small, bell-shaped, white to pink flowers
bloom in mid to late summer and mature to bright red fruit in late autumn that
often persists throughout the winter and into the following spring. It grows
well in zones 3-7. It likes light to moderate shade; prefers acidic,
evenly moist organically enriched soil but also does well in sandy soil.
As
a medicinal plant, it has been used historically as an analgesic, diuretic,
stimulant, astringent and tonic. It was one of the ingredients in William
Swaim's 1811 formula for Swaim’s Panacea. In 1831, the American Journal of
Pharmacy reported that “the wonderful success of Mr. Swaim’s Panacea has
brought this oil into great vogue”. Not quite snake oil, but
close. The concentrated essential oil, Methyl salicylylate,
originally distilled from the plant, but now more likely created
synthetically, is registered for use by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) as either an animal repellent (e.g., dogs and cats) for
use on ornamental plants in residential garden plots, or as an insect
repellent for stored grains, to keep the indian meal moth away. It
has been touted as a folk remedy against colic, headaches, body aches and
pains, inflammations, rheumatism, sore throats, and tooth decay.
Even today, it is a component of some mouth washes and toothpastes, and gives
some liniments their characteristic scent. However, in its concentrated
form, it is highly toxic.
So,
grow it for its high ornamental value, as an evergreen groundcover for winter
interest in shady spots, or admire it in its native habitat while walking in
the woods.
For
more on Plants with Winter Interest, and Winter Landscaping: http://franklincountymgs.blogspot.com/search/label/Winter%20Interest
No comments:
Post a Comment