Species in the genus Gaultheria:

Gaultheria miqueliana / Shiratamanoki シラタマノキ

Gaultheria miqueliana, an evergreen shrub inhabiting sunny, dry, rocky areas, forms colonies, along with plants like Gaultheria adenothrix. The whole, especially fruit, has a unique smell. Stems crawl on the ground, and the upper portions grow to 10-20cm tall. Leaves are alternate, about 2cm long, oblong, and thick, with dents along veins on upper surfaces, the lower surfaces tinged in white, and small obtuse serrations on margins. Axils or branch tips emerge 2-6cm long racemes and set 2-6 flowers in them; the white flowers in a urceolate shape bloom facing downward. Fruit (capsules): Caryxes swell to cover the fruit to grow to about 1cm-in-diameter sphere in a sap fruit way. Bloom time: July-August.