Checkerberry

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Wintergreen \Win"ter*green`\, n. (Bot.)
     A plant which keeps its leaves green through the winter.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: In England, the name wintergreen is applied to the
           species of {Pyrola} which in America are called


           {English wintergreen}, and {shin leaf} (see Shin leaf,
           under {Shin}.) In America, the name wintergreen is
           given to {Gaultheria procumbens}, a low evergreen
           aromatic plant with oval leaves clustered at the top of
           a short stem, and bearing small white flowers followed
           by red berries; -- called also {checkerberry}, and
           sometimes, though improperly, {partridge berry}.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Chickweed wintergreen}, a low perennial primulaceous herb
        ({Trientalis Americana}); -- also called {star flower}.
  
     {Flowering wintergreen}, a low plant ({Polygala paucifolia})
        with leaves somewhat like those of the wintergreen
        ({Gaultheria}), and bearing a few showy, rose-purple
        blossoms.
  
     {oil of wintergreen}, An aromatic oil, consisting almost
        entirely of methyl salicylate ({CH3CO.O.C6H4.OH}),
        obtained by distillation of an extract of the wintergreen
        ({Gaultheria procumbens}); it can also be obtained from
        some other plants. It is used as a flavoring agent for
        tooth powders and pastes, sometimes combined with menthol
        or eucalyptus. It is called also {oil of teaberry}, {oil
        of partridgeberry}, and {oil of gaultheria}.
  
     {Spotted wintergreen}, a low evergreen plant ({Chimaphila
        maculata}) with ovate, white-spotted leaves.
        [1913 Webster + PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Checkerberry \Check"er*ber`ry\ (ch[e^]k"[~e]r*b[e^]r`r[y^]), n.;
     pl. {Checkerberries}. (Bot.)
     A spicy plant and its bright red berry; the wintergreen
     ({Gaultheria procumbens}). Also incorrectly applied to the
     partridge berry ({Mitchella repens}).
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  checkerberry
       n 1: creeping shrub of eastern North America having white
            bell-shaped flowers followed by spicy red berrylike
            fruit and shiny aromatic leaves that yield wintergreen
            oil [syn: {teaberry}, {wintergreen}, {mountain tea}, {groundberry},
             {ground-berry}, {creeping wintergreen}, {Gaultheria
            procumbens}]
       2: spicy red berrylike fruit; source of wintergreen oil [syn: {wintergreen},
           {boxberry}, {teaberry}, {spiceberry}]