its use enhances its importance. Its fruit persist through the winter, and it is one of the few sources of green leaves in winter. White-tailed deer browse wintergreen throughout its range, and in some localities it is an important winter food. Other animals that eat wintergreen are wild turkey, sharp-tailed grouse, northern bobwhite, ring-necked pheasant, black bear, white-footed mouse, and red fox. Wintergreen is a favorite food of the eastern chipmunk, and the leaves are a minor winter food of the gray squirrel in Virginia. Common names Other common names for G. procumbens include American mountain tea, boxberry, Canada tea, canterberry, checkerberry, chickenberry, creeping wintergreen, deerberry, drunkards, gingerberry, greenberry, ground berry, ground tea, grouseberry, hillberry, mountain tea, one-berry, procalm, red pollom, spice berry, squaw vine, star berry, spiceberry, spicy wintergreen, spring wintergreen, teaberry, wax cluster, and youngsters. While this plant is sometimes mistakenly known as partridge berry, that name more often refers to the ground cover Mitchella repens. Traditional use The plant has been used by various tribes of Native Americans for medicinal purposes. See also Clark's Teaberry Wintergreens Gaultheria humifusa - alpine wintergreen Gaultheria ovatifolia - western teaberry or Oregon spicy wintergreen Gallery References External links procumbens Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of Canada Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Spices Hardwood forest plants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus