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Chimaphila menziesii
Chimaphila menziesii (R. Br. ex D. Don) Spreng.
Little Prince's Pine, Little Pipsissewa
Pyrolaceae (Shinleaf Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: CHME
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
A low plant with 1-3 shallowly bowl-shaped, pink, pinkish-white, or pinkish-green flowers hanging at ends of branches above leathery, dark green leaves.
The genus name, from the Greek cheima ("winter") and philos ("loving"), refers to the evergreen nature of the plant. The common name Little Pipsissewa is believed to be derived from the Cree Indian word pipisisikweu, meaning "it breaks it into small pieces"; the plant was once used in preparations for breaking up kidney stones or gallstones. The similar Prince's Pine or Common Pipsissewa (C. umbellata), common throughout the West, usually has more than three flowers, and the swollen bases of its stamens have a few stiff hairs. Spotted Wintergreen (C. maculata), found in Arizona, Mexico, and the eastern United States, has whitish mottling along the leaf veins.
Many authorities show this genus to now belong in the Ericaceae family.
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Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Subshrub
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Rhizomatous stems up to about 8 inches long. Flowering stems up to about 2 inches tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , Pink , GreenBloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug
Distribution
USA: CA , ID , MT , NV , OR , UT , WACanada: BC
Native Distribution: British Columbia south to southern California; also possibly in Idaho and Montana.
Native Habitat: Coniferous woods.
Web Reference
Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) CalfloraWebref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Chimaphila menziesii in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Chimaphila menziesii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chimaphila menziesii
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-05-03Research By: TWC Staff