Partridge Berry
This is a prostrate, mat forming, evergreen perennial named after a botanist in Virginia named John Mitchell. These make attractive small plants for the rock garden given a moist, ericaceous, well-drained soil and some shade.
The plant is quite distinct and easily recognisable from the white veining on the upside of the ovate glossy dark green leaves which are ¾in long. The flowers are fragrant and white flushed pink in June and July. They appear at the end of the shoots in erect pairs without stalks.
The fruits are spherical, about ¼in wide and bright scarlet. The fruits contain eight separate seeds. It occurs widely in central North America from Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas. Its common name is indicative of the attraction of its fruits to native partridges.
The easiest way to propagate this hardy plant is by simply lifting the new shoots which will have rooted themselves where they have touched the bare ground.
