About Gaultheria humifusa (Graham) Rydb.
Gaultheria humifusa (Graham) Rydb. is a species of shrub in the heath family, with common names alpine wintergreen and alpine spicy wintergreen. It is native to western North America, ranging from British Columbia to California to Colorado, and grows in moist subalpine mountain forests. This is a low, spreading shrub that often stays quite small, forming flat patches on the ground, or nestled among rock and leaf litter. Its stems are less than 20 cm (7.9 in) long, and it bears small oval-shaped leaves 1 to 2 cm (0.39 to 0.79 in) long. It produces solitary, bell-shaped flowers with white to light pink corollas and golden anthers; after pollination, these flowers develop into bright to dull red, berrylike fruit capsules. Both the leaves and fruit of Gaultheria humifusa are edible.
