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It turned out to be Gaylussacia brachycera, or box huckleberry, a shade-loving evergreen thought to be among the oldest living things on earth.

In the box huckleberry, one such secret lies underground.

The box huckleberry gets its name from the resemblance of its short, shiny leaves to the common boxwood.

Gene F. Odato, a district forester for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said it could be difficult to make the case that an unassuming plant like the box huckleberry deserves protection.

Over the last decade, she has collected samples from every state where the box huckleberry exists.