Gaultheria procumbens

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gaultheria-procumbens

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Gaultheria procumbens
2. What is the native geographic distribution?Northeastern North America, from Newfoundland to Alabama
3. Why does it smell like candy?The plant makes a chemical called methyl salicylate, which gives it a strong minty, wintergreen scent that tastes like candy.
4. Where does it grow?It lives in the northeastern parts of North America, from Canada to Alabama, in woodlands, conifer forests, and sandy heaths with acidic soil.

Ethnobotany: The study of how people of a particular culture and region use indigenous plants.
Methyl salicylate: An organic compound responsible for the characteristic scent and flavor of wintergreen, with analgesic properties.
Perennial evergreen subshrub: A woody plant that lives for many years, keeps its leaves year-round, and grows low to the ground.