| General Description | A creeping, slow-growing evergreen shrub that spreads through flexible branching. The berries are very popular with bears. The 'Massachusetts' cultivar is especially abundant in flowers and fruits, and has smaller leaves than the species. |
| Shape | Prostrate, mat-forming habit. |
| Landscape | Large scale ground cover, used to prevent soil erosion on slopes and hillsides. |
| Propagation | Propagate by cuttings, or by simply layering in spring. |
| Cultivation | Grow in full sun in a moist but free-draining soil, with shelter from strong winds. |
| Pests | 'Massachusetts' has especially good resistance against leaf gall and leaf spot. |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Reddish-brown branchlets, with papery peeling bark on older twigs. |
| Leaf Description | Leaves are evergreen, dark green in colour and leathery, growing to less than 3 cm, with a shiny top but paler underneath. Leaves turn bronze in winter and become green again in spring. |
| Flower Description | Very small (less than 1 cm in length), white to pink flowers that are urn-shaped and drooping, appearing in small terminal clusters. |
| Fruit Description | Fruit is a rounded, berry-like drupe with 5 nutlets, green in summer ripening to red in the fall, favoured by bears, birds, and small mammals. |