Height: 3"-9" (7-21cm). Flower: Tiny; indistinguishable; many, in dense, terminal cluster surrounded by 4 white, petal-like bracts. Leaves: Oval; entire; usually 6 in a whorl. In bloom: May-July. Habitat-Range: woods, thickets and damp openings; throughout northern parts, and in mountains to West Virginia.
Most members of this family are trees or shrubs. The small plant grows in woods and bogs in colder climates. The tiny flowers grow in a greenish yellow cluster surrounded by 4 conspicuous white bracts. A cluster of red fruit develops; hence the common name. These berries are edible and because they seem to stimulate the appetite, Scottish immigrants called Bunchberry "plant of gluttony".