Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-21
WINTER DECORATIONS.
Red Berries and Evergreen Leaves APP
prOpriate to Christmas.

From the Phladelphis Times.
Red berries of various kinds are particularly
esteemed for winter decorations. This season
they seem to have attained their height already,
although they may be no less brilliant a little
later on. The tea berry. however, generally
becomes little dull and spotted by Christmas
At present it is of a vivid crimson, outshining
coral By tea berry, of course, is meant
gaultheria. The fruit is now displayed for sale
at nearly all the fruit stands and is measured
by the pint and quart In a few weeks it will
be difficult to procure, although the leaves may
be had in abundance. These leaves turn a
reddish brown rather than remain positive
evergreen. They are oval in shape and
may be known by their spicy fragrance. They
taste like the berries, which may be described
as sweet and pungent. The berries yield the
OIL SO we'll known as giving the peculiarly
pleasant flavor to tea berry candy.
The gaultheria Is a member Of the great
heath family, or ericaceae, remarkable for its
very handsome members as the rhododendron,
laurel and trailing arbutus. The gaultheria it
self is only few inches high, and bears deli
cate blossom, later crimson berry. 1t is
found throughout the mountains of Pennsylva-
MIA or wherever its relatives OF the heath family
are. The habitats nearest the city, probably,
are the Wissahickon and the New Jersey pine
barrens
In some places the tea berry is called box
berry or checker berry, while what We know as
partridge berry goes by the name of tea berry.
The partridge berry is Mitehella and belongs
to the same family as the Houstonia or Quaker
lady. The colored people from New Jersey are
also displaying the partridge berry well as
the tea berry proper The partridge berry may
be known by its long. trailing vines and tiny
evergreen leaves almost circular in shape. with
silver streak down the center. The berries
are large and handsome, but of a decided ver-
million r1thar tint rhav
edible but insipid-that is, they taste like
nothing in particular. The fruit of the part
ridge berry will keep for months and can be
found from how on until next summer when
the blossoms come again.
these blossoms are not as some suppose,
the trailing arbutus-that is, the red berry
often found in the same locality as the trail
Ing arbutus is not its fruit. The blossoms of
the partridge berry are dainty, fragrant little
trumpets, white inside, maroon out. They are
grouped IN twos, and two blossoms unite to
form one berry.
The tea berry is also called by some winter
green. But the plant better known as winter
green Is the pipsissewa or bitter wintergreen.
VI tins there are two kinds, one with plain.
glossy evergreen leaf, the other with a leaf
striped with silver. The pipsissewa is scientific
cally known as chimaphila and belongs to the
same great family the rhododendron and
tea berry: The colored people already display
the handsome, leafy clusters of the bitter
"IHteISTeeH. IL Il Tue practlce 10 cOInDlne THIS
with club moss and ground pines in winter
wreaths.
The holly is as beautiful today as it will ever
be. 1t Is not generally known that there are
two kinds of American holly, which are not
precisely the same as the English. Both kinds
OF American holly are found along the Atlantic
coast from New Jersey to Florida, but not
always i'll the same locality. One holly has
handsome scarlet berries. but the leaves are
not evergreen and fall as early as ordinary foil
age. The other holly is the well-kn own species
with red berries and broad. PREDETERMINED ever
green leaves. The red berries of this species
are less abundant than those of the other. Ac-
cordingly, 1t Is common practice where the
two kinds can be had together to combine the
two. II you purchase a holly wreath from New
Jersey and find that it contains berries inserted
III clusters, the chances are that all the berries
did hot grow on the same bush. So much the
better, for the whole effect is richer. The ber-
ries from the leafiess holly also look well when
grouped with the feathery ground pine.
The latter plant deserves notice by reason of
its strong resemblance to a little pine tree. 1t
Is, however, not a pine, but lycopodium
which may be placed between ferns and moses,
that 49, among cryptogams or plants not bear
Ing true flowers. The better known club moss
or crowfoOt is also lycopodium.