It is a creeping prostrate herbaceous woody shrub occurring in North America belonging to the madder family (Rubiaceae).

Its species name is the Latin adjective repens, which means "creeping".

In aboriginal languages, it is known as binemiin, binemin and binewimin in Ojibwe,[9] noon-yeah-ki'e oo-nah'yea in Onondaga[10] and fiːtó imilpá in Koasati (Coushatta).

The evergreen, dark green, shiny leaves are ovate to cordate in shape.

It is found growing in dry or moist woods, along stream banks and on sandy slopes.

Mitchella repens is cultivated for its ornamental red berries and shiny, bright green foliage.

[18] The scarlet berries are edible[19] but rather tasteless, with a faint flavour of wintergreen, resembling cranberries (to which they are not closely related).