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Family: Rubiaceae (Coffee-Madder family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time:
May - June
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe:
June - July
Partridge-berry has sweet smelling flowers that grow in pairs and usually have 4 petals each, although I have found specimens with 5- and 6-petal flowers intermingled with the usual 4-petal flowers.
The fruits (berries) are actually the result of two paired flowers that fuse into one 2-part bright-red fruit. In one of these flowers, the pistil is short and the stamens are long; in the other, the pistil is long and the stamens are short. As a product of the fusion of these two flowers, the resulting fruit has two spots on its surface. The fruits can persist through the winter if not eaten by wildlife.
The species name repens refers to the plant's trailing or creeping habit.
The red berries are purportedly edible but bland.
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10 September 2013
Appalachian Trail near Damascus, VA (with Red Maple seedlings) 
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26 May 2017
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA (flowers with pink tips before opening) 
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21 May 2019
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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26 May 2017
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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8 June 2014
Shenandoah National Park (Northern District), VA (specimen showing unusual 5-petal flower) 
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8 June 2014
Shenandoah National Park (Northern District), VA (specimen showing unusual 6-petal flower) 
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20 April 2021
Manassas National Battlefield Park 
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