Gaultheria ovatifolia

Slender wintergreen, Slender Wintergreen

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Slender wintergreen is a California native shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and northern Sierra Nevada in wet fir forests at elevations of 400 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces white to pink-tinged bell-shaped flowers nestled individually in leaf axils. Growing with low stems less than 35 centimeters tall, covered in soft puberulent and long hairs, it has a delicate and understated form. Its leaves are small, measuring 1 to 3.5 centimeters long, with rounded or slightly heart-shaped bases and finely serrated edges. The fruit develops as a bright red berry, contrasting against the plant's green foliage.

Habitat: Wet fir forests

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 400-1900 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRO, n NCoRH, CaRH, n SNH

California counties: Siskiyou, Humboldt, Butte, Nevada, El Dorado, Placer, Del Norte, Tuolumne, Sierra, Yuba, Trinity

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.