Pipsissewa or Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) ‘In The Wild’

May 19th, 2012. I’ve photographed a few Pipsissewa (Chimaphila maculata) plants blooming at Fort Yargo State Park but nowhere else. Then, as we were driving along the Saxon-Norman-Broad road, I spotted a cluster of three plants at the edge of the woods. One plant had three flowers, one had two, and the third plant had a single flower. I acquired five ticks while photographing these flowers. W and I thought we should start rating our flower photographs by the number of ticks acquired while photographing them.

The cluster of flowering plants at the edge of the woods. Only two plants are visible in this photo.

Three flowers from the top. It was worthwhile lying on the ground to try to capture photographs of the undersides of the flowers.

Plant with three flowers

The plant with two flowers

The plant with a single flower. This flower was facing to the side, allowing a better view of the underside.

I’ve photographed a series of Pipsissewa flowers ranging from buds to seed pods previously at Fort Yargo State Park.

Chimaphila maculata, native to the eastern United States and Canada, is known by the common names Pipsissewa, Striped Wintergreen, Striped Prince's Pine or Spotted Wintergreen. In Georgia, it’s found mainly in counties in the Piedmont. Chimaphila maculata is one of two Chimaphila species that grows in the southeastern United States. The other species, Chimaphila umbellata (Prince's-pine, Pipsissewa) does not grow in Georgia; it grows south only as far as northern South Carolina. is native to the eastern United States and Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
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Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Pipsissewa or Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Chimaphila maculata

Distribution Map:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Chimaphila maculata (Striped Prince's pine)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Chimaphila maculata

Related posts:
- Pipsissewa or Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata)