Chimaphila umbellata

Chimaphila umbellata

''Chimaphila umbellata'' 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.
Chimaphila umbellata Chimaphila umbellata in an upland Jack Pine-Black Spruce forest Chimaphila umbellata,Geotagged,Spring,United States

Habitat

Although it has green leaves year-round, it receives a significant portion of its nutrition from fungi in the soil .
Western Prince's Pine  Chimaphila umbellata,Geotagged,Summer,United States

Uses

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

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

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

References:

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Status: Unknown
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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderEricales
FamilyEricaceae
GenusChimaphila
SpeciesC. umbellata