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Fragrant Wintergreen
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Fragrant Wintergreen
ative Photo: Jis Sebastian
Common name: Fragrant Wintergreen, Indian Wintergreen • Hindi: गंधपूरा Gandapura • Kannada: ಗನ್ಧಪೂರಾ Gandhapoora mara, ಹೆಮನ್ತಹರಿತ Haemanth harithaa, Maalaayi, Moolai • Khasi: dieng lashyrhap, jirhap • Marathi: गंधपूर्ना Gandhapoorna • Nepali: धसिङ्गरे Dhasingare, पतपते Patapate, मचिनो Machino, पडकिने Padakine • Sanskrit: चर्मपत्र Charmapatra, हेमन्तहरितः Hemantaharita, नीलफल Nilaphala, श्वेतपुष्प Swetapuspa, Tailapatra • Tamil: கொலக்கை Kolakkai
Botanical name: Gaultheria fragrantissima    Family: Ericaceae (Blueberry family)
Fragrant Wintergreen is a robust shrub with ovate-lanceshaped evergreen leaves, and with numerous spike-like clusters of small fragrant white or pink globular flowers. Flower clusters are 2.5-8 cm long, shorter than the leaves. Flowers are short-stalked, 4 x 3 mm wide. Leaves are pointed, 5-10 cm long, smooth above, dotted with bristle-bases beneath, margins bristly-toothed. It is a branched shrub up to 1.75 m tall. Berries are 6 mm, with dark violet-blue fleshy pointed sepals. Fragrant Wintergreen is found in the Himalayas, from Uttarakhand to SE Tibet and Myanmar, at altitudes of 1500-2700 m. Flowering: April-May.
Identification credit: Jis Sebastian Photographed in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh.
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