Gaultheria shallon

Botanical Description

Gaultheria shallon is a creeping, evergreen shrub with erect to partially erect stems; it usually grows 50 - 200cm tall but can reach 300cm. Growing from a rhizomatous rootstock, the plant forms a dense thicket of stems[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. , 1050 Title Fire Effects Information System Publication Author Website http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants ].. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental, where it can be used to make a tall groundcover in moist, shady places. The evergreen leaves are used commercially in floral arrangements. A vigorous suckering plant, it can be invasive when growing in good conditions. It has escaped from cultivation in a number of countries, especially the UK, where it can form dense thickets in acid soils which prevent other more valuable pasture species from establishing[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ].