Chimaphila umbellata

Chimaphila umbellata
	File:Chimaphila2.jpg;
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae;
Division:	Magnoliophyta;
Class:	Magnoliopsida;
Order:	Ericales;
Family:	Ericaceae;
Genus:	Chimaphila;
Species:	C. umbellata;
Binomial name
	Chimaphila umbellata; (L.) Barton

Chimaphila umbellata (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

Although it has green leaves year-round, it turns out to get 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).^[1]

Taxonomy

File:Chimaphila umbellata 26031.JPG

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

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". The name is also used for a character in the "Uncle Wiggly" books of Howard R. Garis.

References

↑ Leho Tedersoo, Prune Pellet, Urmas Kõljalg and Marc-André Selosse (March, 2007). "Parallel evolutionary paths to mycoheterotrophy in understorey Ericaceae and Orchidaceae: ecological evidence for mixotrophy in Pyroleae". Oecologia. 151 (2): 206–217. doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0581-2. Check date values in: |date= (help)

Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Check date values in: |year= (help)

External links

Template:Ericales-stub

de:Dolden-Winterlieb lt:Marenikė sk:Zimoľub okolíkatý sv:Ryl

[1] Leho Tedersoo, Prune Pellet, Urmas Kõljalg and Marc-André Selosse (March, 2007). "Parallel evolutionary paths to mycoheterotrophy in understorey Ericaceae and Orchidaceae: ecological evidence for mixotrophy in Pyroleae". Oecologia. 151 (2): 206–217. doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0581-2. Check date values in: |date= (help)

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