Wintergreen: the mysterious wild plant with a minty taste

At first glance, it would be easy to miss.

A few centimeters from the ground, between moss, conifer needles, and deadwood, tiny creeping stems sometimes form large green carpets. Their leaves are so small that they could be mistaken for a simple ground cover plant.

Then, you gently crush a leaf.

A fresh scent emerges.

And if you know the plant well, its fragrance can be surprisingly reminiscent of mint, wintergreen, or certain menthol candies.

Yet, it is not mint.

It is the creeping snowberry, or matted snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), a small indigenous plant characteristic of North American northern forests. In Quebec, it is one of those discreet plants that reveal much about the richness of the boreal undergrowth.

And for a long time, certain Indigenous peoples have also known this small aromatic plant.

Its scientific name is Gaultheria hispidula.

In Quebec, several names have been used to refer to it:

• small tea;
• matted snowberry;
• creeping snowberry;
• partridge berry.

In English, it is often called creeping snowberry.

The Database of Vascular Plants of Canada recognizes Gaultheria hispidula as an indigenous species found in Quebec as well as in several other Canadian provinces. Its natural range extends from the subarctic regions of Canada to the northeastern United States.

It is a plant particularly well adapted to the cool environments of the North.

The creeping snowberry grows very close to the ground.

Its long creeping stems can spread between moss and forest debris, forming true small plant networks.

Its leaves are tiny, often only a few millimeters long, rounded to oval, and arranged along the stems.

The Flore laurentienne describes a plant whose stems reach about 10 to 30 centimeters, with leaves about 4 to 10 millimeters. It particularly likes cool and humid woods, especially coniferous forests, and is widespread in Quebec, especially towards the north.

It's exactly the kind of plant you can discover while walking in a forest of spruces, firs, and other conifers, amidst the mosses.

This is probably the most surprising characteristic when discovering this plant.

Despite its name and fragrance, creeping snowberry does not belong to the mint family.

Mint belongs to the Lamiaceae, while creeping snowberry belongs to the Ericaceae, the same large botanical family as several wintergreens and blueberries.

Its characteristic scent is more reminiscent of wintergreen.

Plants of the genus Gaultheria are known to contain compounds associated with methyl salicylate, responsible for this very particular odor. Botanical studies specifically on Gaultheria hispidula also report the presence of compounds allowing the release of methyl salicylate.

It is therefore probably this scent that explains why a person discovering the plant for the first time might spontaneously think:

"It tastes like wild mint!"

But botanically, these are two completely different plants.

This is a very common confusion in Quebec.

Creeping snowberry is generally associated with:

Gaultheria hispidula

whereas wintergreen generally corresponds to:

Gaultheria procumbens

Both plants belong to the same genus and have this characteristic wintergreen-like flavor.

But they don't look exactly the same.

Creeping snowberry forms long creeping stems covered with tiny leaves, whereas wintergreen generally has significantly larger, thicker, and shinier leaves.

However, there is some confusion in popular names. The Canadian VASCAN database also indicates that the name "petit thé" (small tea) has historically been used for both species depending on the author.

To correctly identify a plant, the scientific name therefore remains much more reliable.

Another clue can help identify Gaultheria hispidula.

The plant produces small white fruits, often hidden under or between the stems.

They are generally a few millimeters in size and appear as small white pearls amidst the plant carpet.

This is partly why it is called creeping snowberry.

The presence of these fruits is an excellent identification clue when observing the plant in the forest.

Yes, traditional uses of Gaultheria hispidula are documented among certain Indigenous peoples of North America.

However, these practices should not be generalized to all First Nations. Each Nation has its own knowledge, territory, and traditions.

An important ethnobotanical study on the Algonquin people of Quebec notably reports the use of creeping snowberry, among other things as an infusion and as food.

Other historical ethnobotanical sources report that the Ojibwe, also referred to as Chippewa in some older sources, used the leaves to prepare a beverage.

Research on Cree communities has also documented Gaultheria hispidula or a plant strongly matching this description in the traditional medicinal knowledge of certain communities.

One study notably describes a creeping plant growing in sphagnum, with tiny round leaves whose smell becomes similar to mint when heated; Gaultheria hispidula is suggested as a probable identification.

Other works on traditional Cree medicine directly mention Gaultheria hispidula among the species known or used in certain communities.

These accounts show something important: a small plant almost invisible to someone quickly passing through the forest could be perfectly known to those who lived daily with the land.

And among the Ilnu?

To our knowledge, the sources we consulted do not allow us to state with sufficient certainty that Gaultheria hispidula had a specific traditional use among the Ilnu.

This does not necessarily mean that the plant was unknown.

It simply means that we prefer not to attribute a cultural practice to a Nation without sufficiently solid documentation to do so.

Indigenous traditional knowledge is not interchangeable from one Nation to another.

Several ethnobotanical documents mention the use of creeping snowberry leaves to prepare a beverage.

In Frances Densmore's historical works on the Chippewa/Ojibwe, the use of the leaves as a beverage is notably reported.

Modern compilations on traditional food plants of Indigenous peoples in Canada also classify Gaultheria hispidula among plants whose leaves and young shoots could be used to prepare a beverage or tea.

It is fascinating to note that a plant now called "petit thé" (small tea) in Quebec was indeed known for this use.

The plant is generally described in various Quebec references as an aromatic wild plant whose leaves and small fruits have been used in food.

Quebec's AgroBoréal Centre of Excellence even lists Gaultheria hispidula among the northern resources harvested for its fruits, leaves, and flowers.

But there's an important nuance.

An edible plant is not a plant to be consumed without caution

Creeping snowberry contains compounds associated with salicylates. Laval University's documentation notably warns against overconsuming its fruits due to methyl salicylate.

The consumption of wild plants must therefore remain cautious, particularly for children, during pregnancy, for people allergic to aspirin, or those taking certain medications.

A photograph on the internet should never be used as the sole method to determine that a wild plant can be eaten.

Identification must be confirmed with several botanical characteristics.

Several clues can guide identification:

• Habit: the plant creeps directly on the ground and can form large mats.
• Leaves: they are tiny, generally round to oval, and much smaller than those of true wintergreen.
• Habitat: it is found particularly in cool, humid woods and coniferous forests.
• Scent: the leaves release a characteristic odor reminiscent of wintergreen or mint when crushed or handled.
• Fruits: small white berries may appear near the stems.

None of these criteria taken separately, however, should be used to confirm an identification for consumption.

When we look at a forest, our attention is naturally drawn to the big things.

Spruces.

Firs.

Birches.

Animals.

Rivers.

Yet, a large part of forest life takes place a few centimeters from the ground.

Mosses, lichens, mushrooms, clubmosses, small creeping plants, and shrubs together form an extremely complex undergrowth.

Creeping snowberry is part of this universe.

Its creeping habit allows it to weave between mosses and roots. Its small leaves remain close to the moist, cool ground. Its fruits also nourish forest life.

It is not a spectacular plant in terms of size.

It is spectacular in its ability to go almost completely unnoticed.

Sometimes, a single discovery is enough to never walk the same way in the forest again.

A small leaf, once thought insignificant, suddenly has an astonishing fragrance.

A green carpet reveals a plant known for generations.

An orange mushroom hides a complex biological story.

A moss becomes a true miniature ecosystem.

Knowledge of the land often begins this way: by observing.

Long before illustrated guides and identification apps, the peoples living on these lands had developed extremely fine knowledge of the plants, animals, seasons, and environments around them.

Creeping snowberry is a beautiful example of this relationship.

It reminds us that a forest is not just a collection of trees.

It is a living territory where even the smallest plants have a story.

Creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula) is a small, creeping indigenous plant of Quebec's northern forests.

Its surprisingly minty fragrance comes from compounds characteristic of wintergreens and can easily make it confused, at first contact, with a form of wild mint.

However, its tiny leaves, long creeping stems, and small white berries distinguish it.

Traditional food and medicinal uses are documented among certain Indigenous peoples, particularly in sources concerning the Algonquin of Quebec, the Ojibwe, and some Cree communities.

But this knowledge should never be generalized to all Nations.

Even today, discovering this small plant amidst a carpet of moss is a beautiful way to understand all the richness hidden beneath our feet in the boreal forest.

This article is presented for educational and cultural purposes. It is neither a botanical identification guide for consumption nor medical advice. Any wild plant must be identified with certainty before being consumed.

• Database of Vascular Plants of Canada — VASCAN: taxonomy, common names, and distribution of Gaultheria hispidula.
  Consult the source
• Kew Science — Plants of the World Online: natural range and botanical status of the species.
  Consult source
• Marie-Victorin — Flore laurentienne: description of creeping snowberry and its habitat in Quebec.
  Consult source
• National Library of Medicine: scientific documentation concerning compounds present in Gaultheria hispidula and methyl salicylate.
  Consult source
• Library and Archives Canada: ethnobotanical work on the traditional knowledge of certain Cree communities.
  Consult source
• Theses Canada: work on traditional Cree medicine and Gaultheria hispidula.
  Consult source
• AgroBoréal: Quebec documentation concerning creeping snowberry as a northern resource.
  Consult source
• Université Laval: documentation on edible wild plants and precautions related to methyl salicylate.
  Consult source