Gaultheria mucronata Prickly Heath

A dwarf, spiny, ericaceous shrub with glossy dark-green leaves and small bell-shaped flowers which give rise to attractive berries that range in colour from white to dark purple. It  is native to South America and was introduced to Britain as a garden plant in 1828. It was first recorded wild in Britain early in the  20th Century and now has a scattered distribution in Britain and Ireland where it has become naturalised on acidic soils in heathland and woodland. Frugiverous birds which eat the berries probably provide an effective seed dispersal mechanism. It is rarely recorded in the wild in West Glamorgan

Neophyte