''Chimaphila menziesii'', known by the common names little prince's pine and Little Pipsissewa, is a species of perennial wildflower in the heath family.

Distribution

This plant is found scattered throughout the mountains of western North America where it grows in the understory of

coniferous forests Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant ...

. It is native to the Western United States and Southwest Canada.

Description

''Chimaphila menziesii'' is a short flower with a slender reddish stem not exceeding 15 centimeters. The leaves are lance-shaped and a leathery rich green with light veins and tiny widely spaced teeth along the edges. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

atop the stem produces hanging flowers on long stalks. Each flower is white to dark pink, with spreading petals around a thick center. A ring of

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s with large tubular anthers surrounds an

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

with a large buttonlike stigma. It is similar to, but smaller than, its relative the prince's pine, ''

Chimaphila umbellata ''Chimaphila umbellata'', the 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&nbs ...

''.

Uses

The plant was used to make treatments to break up kidney stones or gallstones; the name Pipsissewa likely derives from the

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

word ''pipsisikuweu'' ('it breaks into little pieces').

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
menziesii Flora of the Western United States Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Montana Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of Utah Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Ericaceae-stub