There are some medium-sized shrubs in this genus, but most are very low, spreading plants, with lots of small, creamy white flowers, almost invariably described as urn-shaped. The only urn I know is a metal cylinder, so that isn’t much help. The flowers are tubular, usually hanging downwards, constricted at the mouth and often then with a flared section. These are followed by showy fruits, white, blue, purple, perhaps black, which look good for a long time against the small, evergreen leaves. Note that plants in the genus Pernettya are now also considered to be Gaultheria.

Gaultheria x wisleyensis looks really good twice a year, with its dark green, glossy foliage as the background for masses of small pinkish- white flowers, followed by black berries. This is a hybrid of Gautheria shallon and G mucronata which originated at Wisley.