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Common Name: Partridge Berry

General Information

Mitchella repens is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 0.05 metres tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, where it can be used as a ground cover.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

N. America - Newfoundland to Florida, west to Texas and Minnesota.

Habitat

Dry or moist knolls in woods[], on sandy sub-strates[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	0.05 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a moist but well-drained lime-free soil and some shade[]. Prefers a peaty soil[, ], succeeding in neutral to acid soils[].
Plants are hardy to at least -20°c[].
A trailing plant, the stems forming new roots at the nodes[].
The dried leaves have a scent of newly mown hay[]. The flowers have a pleasant sweet fragrance[].
Succeeds in the shade of trees[, ], growing well in a woodland and in the rock garden[, ]. Plants can be difficult to establish[], though they can become invasive once they are well established[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, , ]. Pleasant and slightly aromatic[]. Dry and tasteless, with lots of seeds according to another report[]. The fruit hangs on well on the bush[]. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter[].

A tea is made from the leaves[].

Medicinal

Partridge berry was commonly used by several native North American Indian tribes as a parturient to hasten childbirth. It was also occasionally used to treat a variety of other complaints including insomnia, rheumatic pain and fluid retention[]. It is still used in modern herbalism as an aid to childbirth and is also considered to have a tonic effect upon the uterus and the ovaries[].
The herb is astringent, diuretic, hypnotic and tonic[, , , , , ]. Frequent doses of a tea made from the fresh or dried leaves were used by N. American Indian women in the weeks preceding childbirth in order to promote easy delivery[, , ]. This tea should not be used during the first six months of labour, however, since it can induce a miscarriage[]. The tea is also used to treat delayed, painful or irregular menses[, ].
The tea was also used externally as a wash for hives, swellings, sore nipples, rheumatism etc[]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[].
A tea made from the berries has a very definite sedating effect on the nervous system[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Can be used as a ground cover plant in a shady position[, ]. Plants form a spreading carpet, rooting along the stems, and are best spaced about 30cm apart each way[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -