Wintergreen

Wintergreen

Wintergreen is a group of plants. Wintergreen once commonly referred to plants that continue photosynthesis (remain green) throughout the winter. The term evergreen is now more commonly used for this characteristic.

Some species of the shrub genus "Gaultheria" in the closely related family Ericaceae also demonstrate this characteristic and are called wintergreens in North America, the most common generally being the Eastern Teaberry ("Gaultheria procumbens"). Several genera of herbaceous plants in the family Pyrolaceae, notably "Pyrola, Orthilia, Moneses" and "Chimaphila", demonstrate this characteristic and are also called wintergreens.

Some species of the herbaceous genus "Trientalis" in the unrelated family Primulaceae are known as "Chickweed Wintergreen."

Oil of wintergreen

The "Gaultheria" species share the common characteristic of producing oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate), which gives plants a distinctive "medicinal" smell when bruised. Some species of birch also produce oil of wintergreen, but these deciduous trees are not called wintergreens.

External links

* [http://www.eherbal.org/data/wintergreen.html Wintergreen medical uses, cautions and side effects, dosages, and general details]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • wintergreen — [ wintɛrgrin; wintɶrgrin ] n. m. • 1843; mot angl. « gaulthérie » ♦ Essence de wintergreen : huile essentielle, extraite des feuilles de gaulthérie ou de l écorce de bouleau, employée en parfumerie. ● wintergreen nom masculin (anglais wintergreen …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Wintergreen — Win ter*green , n. (Bot.) A plant which keeps its leaves green through the winter. [1913 Webster] Note: In England, the name wintergreen is applied to the species of {Pyrola} which in America are called {English wintergreen}, and {shin leaf} (see …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wintergreen 10 — (Тредбо,Австралия) Категория отеля: Адрес: Crackenback Ridge , 2625 Тредбо, Австрали …   Каталог отелей

  • wintergreen — ► NOUN 1) a low growing plant with spikes of white bell shaped flowers. 2) an American shrub whose leaves produce oil. 3) (also oil of wintergreen) a pungent oil obtained from these plants or from birch bark, used medicinally and as a flavouring …   English terms dictionary

  • wintergreen — [win′tərgrēn΄] n. [based on Ger wintergrün, Du wintergroen: so named because evergreen ] ☆ 1. a) any of several gaultherias; esp., a creeping subshrub (Gaultheria procumbens) having small, rounded evergreen leaves, bell shaped, white flowers, and …   English World dictionary

  • wintergreen — (n.) type of plant, 1540s, from WINTER (Cf. winter) (n.) + GREEN (Cf. green) …   Etymology dictionary

  • wintergreen — /win teuhr green /, n. 1. Also called checkerberry. a small, creeping, evergreen shrub, Gaultheria procumbens, of the heath family, common in eastern North America, having white, nodding, bell shaped flowers, a bright red, berrylike fruit, and… …   Universalium

  • wintergreen — noun Date: 1548 1. any of a genus (Pyrola of the family Pyrolaceae, the wintergreen family) of evergreen perennial herbs (as the shinleafs) that have basal leaves and racemose flowers 2. a. any of a genus (Gaultheria) of evergreen plants of the… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • wintergreen — /ˈwɪntəgrin/ (say wintuhgreen) noun 1. a small, creeping evergreen ericaceous shrub, Gaultheria procumbens, common in eastern North America, with white bell shaped flowers, a bright red berry like fruit, and aromatic leaves which yield a volatile …  

  • wintergreen — šliaužiančioji bruknuolė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Erikinių šeimos prieskoninis, vaistinis augalas (Gaultheria procumbens), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. Iš jo gaminami maisto priedai (kvėpikliai). atitikmenys: lot. Gaultheria… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”