prince's pine (Chimaphila umbellata) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Prince's pine is a small plant of northern and mountain forests in the United States, with glossy, toothed leaves and clusters of waxy flowers. Prince's pine is also widely called pipsissewa.

Appearance

Growth form: This , woody plant usually stands 4–12 in (10–30 cm) tall.
Leaves: Its leathery leaves gather near the top of the stem and have sharp teeth along the edges.
Flowers: A stem may carry several white or pink waxy flowers. In North Carolina, flowering is mainly in May and June.
Fruit: Small round seed capsules may remain through winter.

Look-alikes

striped pipsissewaChimaphila maculata

Prince’s pine has plain dark green leaves. Striped pipsissewa has conspicuous pale stripes along the leaf veins.

Why they get mixed upBoth are low evergreen plants of eastern pine woods.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: pine woods
mixed forests
Range: It grows across much of the northern and western United States. In North Carolina, it is scarce and mostly found near the Virginia border.
Preferred conditions: Look for it in acidic forest soil, often in pine woods.
Flowering: Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun

Name and classification

About the name: Eastern and western North American plants and Eurasian plants have been named as regional .

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Status: It is on North Carolina’s state watch list.

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