Woody > Gaultheria > Gaultheria forrestii > Gaultheria forrestii
Gaultheria forrestii
Forrest's Wintergreen
Origin: Southwest China, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
| Family |
| Ericaceae |
| Genus |
| Gaultheria |
| Species |
| forrestii |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| Synonyms |
| Andromeda flexuosa, Andromeda katagherensis, Arbutus laurifolia, Brossaea fragrantissima, Gaultheria forrestii, Gaultheria fragrans, Gaultheria hirsuta |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 8a - 10b |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Requires cold season protection under glass. |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H5 - H2 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| -12.2 - 1.7 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 10 - 35 |
| Height |
| 1.0 - 4.0 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| An evergreen shrub, occasionally a small tree. It usually grows around 100 - 400 cm tall. |
| Landscape |
| As ground cover, flower beds, low maintenance cover, city and urban gardens, informal rock gardens or as a specimen. |
| Cultivation |
| Thrives in acid, sandy soils that are well drained and once established can tolerate periods of drought. It does well in partial shade to full sun. |
| Shape |
| A compact and mounding species with arching branches. |
| ID Characteristic |
| This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. |
| Habitat |
| Forests and shrubberies, usually on dry slopes. Evergreen, Pinus, and mixed forests, forest margins, thickets on dry slopes, sunny slopes; at elevations from 1,000 - 3,200 metres. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Grey to light green bark. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Buds are 1 mm in length, smooth and red in colour. |
| Leaf Description |
| Deep green and glossy, narrow pointed leaves. |
| Flower Description |
| Racemes of pure white flowers. |
| Fruit Description |
| Large clusters of purple to bright blue fruit. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Trengwainton Garden, Madron, near Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom. |
| Propagation |
| By seed or hardwood cuttings. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| The leaves yield around 1.25% of an essential oil, this is a wintergreen substitute and it is used in perfumery, as a hair oil and medicinally. |
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