Posted January 30, 2024
Generally speaking, in the plant world, one flower will produce one fruit. Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is one of the two exceptions. Our native partridgeberry, along with only one other species of plant native to Japan, are sometimes referred to as “twinberries” because each fruit is the product of two adjacent flowers. In June, pairs of fuzzy four-petaled white or pink flowers bloom at the end of each stem. The ovaries of these paired blossoms are fused, forming a single globular red berry with two blossom ends, instead of one, which occurs in most other berries.
To put this another way with a more familiar berry: Think of a blueberry. There’s a small spot on one side where the berry was attached to the stem and a five-pointed star pattern on the opposite side where the blossom was attached. I like to think of this star pattern as the blueberries “belly button”. Because they are formed from two fused flowers, partridgeberries essentially have two “belly buttons”.
Creeping along close to the ground, partridgeberries put down new roots at various places along their horizontally extending stems. As a result, they form trailing evergreen mats that can be seen any time of year in damp forests. The leaves are approximately 1/2 an inch long, shiny, egg shaped with light colored veins, and oppositely arranged along the stem. The red berries ripen in late summer but often persist through the winter. Which means, you can probably find them out along the trails right now! (Hint: Partridgeberry is common along the trails at Douglas S. Westgate and Fearing Hill Conservation Areas). These winter-available berries provide food for birds, such as grouse, quail and wild turkeys, especially when other food becomes scarce.
Written by Elise Leduc-Fleming, WLT Executive Director
