Summary ²

Flowering: November-February
Falkland Islands status: native, not legally protected
Falkland Islands Red List: Least Concern

Description ²

An evergreen ground-hugging dwarf shrub with slightly woody straggling stems that can be over 40 cm long, often intertwining to form extensive patches. The shiny green leaves are roughly rounded and about 5 mm diameter. The creamy-white flowers are solitary in the leaf-axils and develop into round white to bright pink berries up to nearly 1 cm in diameter.

Local Information ²

Widespread across the Falklands from sea level to mountain tops, but most frequently in moist diddle-dee heath, whitegrass, bogs and damp valleys and stream margins. The teaberry berry is sweet, delicately fragrant with a hint of juniper, making it the most popular of native fruits; harvested in April and May, it is used in desserts and cordials. It is also a favourite of upland geese and seed-eating passerines such as the black-throated finch and Falkland thrush. Its distribution on Hummock Island is limited to Cinnamon Valley and a few areas on the upper slopes of Hummock Peak.

Notes ²

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Kelvin Floyd, all rights reserved, uploaded by Kelvin Floyd
2. (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Catalogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online

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