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Umbellate wintergreen facts for kids

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Umbellate wintergreen
Chimaphila2.jpg
Conservation status

Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Genus:
Chimaphila
Species:
umbellata

Chimaphila umbellata, the umbellate wintergreen, pipsissewa, or prince's pine, is a small perennial flowering plant found in dry woodlands, or sandy soils. It is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere.

It grows 10–35 cm tall, and has evergreen shiny, bright green, toothed leaves arranged in opposite pairs or whorls of 3–4 along the stem. Leaves have a shallowly toothed margin, where the teeth have fine hairs at their ends. The flowers are white or pink, produced in a small umbel of 4–8 together.

Ecology

Chimaphila umbellata fleur
Close-up on flower

Although it has green leaves year-round, it receives a significant portion of its nutrition from fungi in the soil (that is, it is a partial myco-heterotroph, which is not surprising as related plants, such as Pyrola, are partial or full myco-heterotrophs).

Taxonomy

Chimaphila umbellata 26031
Fruit of C. umbellata subsp. occidentalis

There are four subspecies:

  • Chimaphila umbellata subsp. umbellata – Europe, Asia
  • Chimaphila umbellata subsp. acuta – southwestern North America
  • Chimaphila umbellata subsp. cisatlantica – northeastern North America
  • Chimaphila umbellata subsp. occidentalis – northwestern North America

Uses

Some Plateau Indian tribes used a boil of prince's pine to treat tuberculosis.

The twentieth century Appalachian folk healer Clarence "Catfish" Gray, "Man of the Woods", credited pipsissewa with curing his own heart problems and included it in his 15 herb cure-all "bitters."

It is used as a flavoring in candy and soft drinks, particularly root beer.

The roots and leaves of Chimaphila umbellata can be boiled to create tea.

Name

"Pipsissewa" is a Cree name meaning "It-breaks-into-small-pieces".

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