Chimaphila maculata

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Chimaphila maculata
Spotted wintergreen
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Family: Ericaceae Genus: Chimaphila Species: C. maculata
Binomial name
Chimaphila maculata (L.) Pursh

Chimaphila maculata (Spotted Wintergreen, also called striped wintergreen and striped prince's pine) is a small (10-25 cm tall), perennial evergreen herb native to eastern North America and Central America, from southern Quebec west to Illinois, and south to Florida and Panama.

It has dark green, variegated leaves 2-7 cm in length, and 6-26 mm in width. The stems emerge from creeping rhizomes. The nearly round flowers, which appear in late July to early August, are found on top of tall stalks. They are white or pinkish and are insect pollinated. The flowers mature to small (6 to 8 mm in diameter) capsules baring the seeds of the plant, which are dispersed by the wind.

It requires sandy habitats in dry-mesic oak-pine woods.

[edit] Conservation status

Spotted wintergreen is endangered in Canada, as there are four living populations in southern Ontario, and there is one extremely small extant population in Quebec. It is also endangered in Illinois and Maine. In New York it is considered Exploitably Vulnerable.

[edit] External links

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Chimaphila maculata
• USDA profile: Chimaphila maculata
• Short description