Japanese wintergreen (Chimaphila japonica) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Japanese wintergreen is a tiny evergreen of East Asian forests. In U.S. woods, a similar native plant is spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata), which is easy to recognize by the pale stripes on its leaves.

Appearance

Growth form: A small evergreen woody plant about 2–4 in (5–10 cm) tall.
Leaves: Thick, dark green leaves gather in small tiers along the stem and have lightly toothed edges.
Flowers: Usually one or two small white flowers nod from the top of a short stalk.
Fruit: A small, flattened seed capsule follows the flower.

Look-alikes

Spotted wintergreenChimaphila maculata

Spotted wintergreen has bold pale stripes running along its dark leaves. Japanese wintergreen has plain green leaves; a flowering plant typically has just one or two flowers.

Why they get mixed upBoth are small evergreen relatives with nodding white flowers.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Shaded forest floors in East Asia
Range: Native from the Russian Far East through Korea, Japan, and parts of China to Taiwan. It is not native to the United States.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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