A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger

Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident 

I spotted this green ground cover with red berries as my wife and I finished the McDade Trail near route 209. “Is that a variety of holly?” I asked. 

“No,” she replied. “Wintergreen.” 

Its deep green leaves and bright red berries, still vivid in late fall, caused me to mistake it for holly. There are many differences. Wintergreen is a useful medicinal plant. Native Americans brewed a wintergreen tea to relieve a number of complaints. It has a chemical similarity to aspirin. Holly is, biologically speaking, a noxious weed. Wintergreen is a “creeper,” that is, ground cover. Holly is a “climber,” growing upward. 

Wintergreen, which is the older name for “evergreen,” has a proven scientific benefit to humanity. Holly’s value is mostly symbolic. Because it continues to stay green while many of the trees around it succumb to the season, it has long been considered to possess special powers. Holly adorns the garlands of the Druid priest, the candle-lit braids of the Swedish festival of St. Lucia and the Ghost of Christmas Present in “A Christmas Carol.” Even Harry Potter’s wand contains holly. Christians display the holly wreath as symbolic of Christ’s crown of thorns, with the berry representing blood, a relatively recent spin to the much older pagan rites. 

Wintergreen does all the healing and holly gets all the attention. This may be because holly is a hardier plant, a small tree or shrub, while wintergreen is a leafy ground cover. Wintergreen is too delicate for foot traffic, growing best in forests or hollows that get lots of moisture but little sun. 

Most critically, holly dries well, retaining its firmness, shape and color when cut. Wintergreen clipped and brought indoors simply wilts. You can’t deck the halls with wintergreen. Thus, everybody knows holly and only the discerning recognize wintergreen. 

If you want to be noticed, it is better to be a climber than a creeper. It also helps if you can be displayed to good advantage. Meanwhile, the healers stay close to the ground.