Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Friday - September 16, 2011
From: Blue Ridge, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Plant Identification, Groundcovers
Title: Identification of groundcover plant in north Georgia mountains
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Was trail riding in N GA mountains - saw pretty ground cover plant ? vine - small green leaves with whitish borders almost look like clover leaves and has small bright red red berries - this was Aug 2011 - have never seen this anywhere but in the mountains - a shady area..ANSWER:
Mitchella repens (Partridgeberry) is a very good candidate for your groundcover plant. It is a low creeping plant with scarlet berries and the light-colored veins makes it look as if its leaves are variegated. Also, the USDA PLANTS Database distribution map shows it occurring in Fannin County. Here are more photos from Duke University and the Connecticut Botanical Society.
If this isn't your plant and you have a photo of it, please visit our Plant Identification page to find links to plant identification forums that accept photos for identification.
From the Image Gallery
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