Wintergreen

This article is about the plants of the genus Gaultheria that are commonly known as wintergreen. For other uses, see Wintergreen (disambiguation).
Gaultheria from Fountain Springs, Pennsylvania

Wintergreen is a group of aromatic plants.[1] The term wintergreen once commonly referred to plants that remain green (continue photosynthesis) throughout the winter. The term evergreen is now more commonly used for this characteristic.

Most species of the shrub genus Gaultheria demonstrate this characteristic and are called wintergreens in North America, the most common generally being the American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).[2] Wintergreens in the genus Gaultheria contain an aromatic compound, methyl salicylate, and are used as a mintlike flavoring.

  1. ^ "WINTERGREEN". hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  2. ^ "Wintergreen | Gaultheria procumbens". wildadirondacks.org. Retrieved 2022-05-02.