| Wintercreeper is an evergreen, often vinelike, shrub that trails along the ground or climbs by attaching itself with aerial rootlets, like ivy. It can sprawl and scramble 50 ft (15.2 m) or more. As a groundcover, wintercreeper forms a mound up to 2 ft (0.6 m) tall and grows outward indefinitely. With support, it climbs vigorously. The young branches are green with little warts, and the opposite leaves are oval, 1-2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) long, usually with prominent silver veins and sometimes variegated with yellow or white. Flowers are small and insignificant, but the fruits are showy. They are pale orange, about 1/3 in (0.8 cm) in diameter, and split open when ripe to reveal a bright red-orange fleshy covering (aril) surrounding the seeds. The fruits often persist well into the winter. |
