Eastern Teaberry grows low to the ground, can be used for many purposes and produces little edible red berries.

As kids roaming the woods years ago, we'd often come across a shiny ground cover with small red berries. Someone had told us the berries were edible, so eat them we did. And to our surprise, they tasted like teaberry gum. Little did we know at the time, that Eastern Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), also known as checkerberry, boxberry or American wintergreen, did inspire the name of Clark's teaberry chewing gum whose popularity peaked in the 1960s.

While not so prolific as it once was in this area, there are still patches of it around, and it is more widespread in the northern counties. The species of Gaultheria is native to northeastern North American from Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba and south to Alabama. Gaultheria was named after Dr. Gaultier, a Canadian physician of the 18th century. Gaultheria is a genus of about 170 to 180 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae.

This member of the heath family is a great ground cover for acid soil. Its low-growing (2 to 6 inches tall) spreading habit makes it ideal for a woodland garden. The oval shiny leaves are evergreen and white flowers shaped like bells hang downward from a short red flower stalk. Teaberry spreads by underground creeping stems. The red berry fruit appears in the fall and is completely edible by humans but you have to beat the chipmunks to the berries.

While teaberry likes shade, it also likes moist, well-drained soil. Keep it watered in dry weather especially until it becomes well-established. Use an organic fertilizer in the planting holes before setting the plant. Some mulch also is appreciated. The teaberry plant is a semi-woody perennial and is hardy in Zones 3 to 8.

The plant was used by the Native Americans as a tea which eased symptoms of rheumatism. Oil of wintergreen also has aspirin-like properties. To use as a tea, after the leaves are dried, you should ferment them in warm water for several days before drinking. This gives more flavor to the tea. Teaberry extract is used to flavor candles, teas, medicine and chewing gum. Teaberry also is an ice cream flavor in some areas of the country.

As for Clark's teaberry gum, it is currently a product of Clark Gum Company in Buffalo, N.Y., and is made in Mexico. Both the gum and the plant are available on various internet sites. You also can find the plant at nurseries and greenhouses, especially those who specialize in native plants.

Mary Ellen Walter is a Master Gardener with the Penn State Master Gardener program. She lives in Butler County.