Chimaphila menziesii (R. Br. ex D. Don) Spreng.
Little Pipsissewa, Little Prince's Pine
Pyrolaceae (Shinleaf Family)
USDA Symbol: chme
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.
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Bloom InformationBloom Color: White , Pink , Green
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug
DistributionUSA: CA , ID , MT , NV , OR , UT , WA
Native Distribution: British Columbia south to southern California; also possibly in Idaho and Montana.
Native Habitat: Coniferous woods.
Additional resourcesUSDA: Find Chimaphila menziesii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Chimaphila menziesii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chimaphila menziesii
MetadataRecord Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff