Pipsissewa

 

Pipsissewa (Chimaphila  maculata) flowering
in summer.  Rowan County, North Carolina. 

In mid-winter my thoughts turn to Pipsissewa.  Pipsissewa is a small evergreen herb that grows in the understory of eastern North American forests.  Pipsissewa is an interesting name because it is at the center of an etymological controversy.  One source says Pipsissewa is derived from the Cree indigenous language and means “to break into pieces”.  Pipsissewa has many medicinal uses including as a treatment for kidney stones, thus the breaking into pieces.  Another explanation says Pipsissewa comes from the Eastern Abnaki tribe and means, “flower of the woods”.  Other common names for this plant are more descriptive.  It is also called Spotted Wintergreen, which is odd because it is not spotted, but it is green in winter.  Another name is Striped Wintergreen, which is quite accurate.  The scientific name of Pipsissewa is Chimaphila maculata.  Chimaphila is from the Greek meaning winter loving and maculata is Latin for mottled (not striped).  

Pipsissewa leaves in winter.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pipsissewa is classified in the Ericaceae, the same family as Rhododendron and Blueberry. The plants stand a few inches tall and the bright green leaves are marked with white veins.  Pipsissewa prefers to grow in dry, acidic soil beneath trees.  I think of Pipsissewa as an herb but it is technically a sub-shrub. It has a woody underground stem and with its short stature Pipsissewa qualifies for the odd category of sub-shrub.  In spring, each plant produces one to a few white, nodding flowers.  These flowers are pollinated by bees and as the fruit develops it rotates to face upward.  When mature, the fruit is a brown, five-part capsule that contain around a thousand of tiny seeds. 

Pipsissewa with flower buds.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Closeup of Pipsissewa flower buds.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pipsissewa has many traditional medicinal uses beyond treating kidney stones.  It has antibacterial activity and has been used to treat urinary tract infections.  It can be applied to the skin as a treatment for ringworm and ulcers.  The many biologically active compounds produced by Pipsissewa may also account for another common name, Rat Bane.  These same compounds are probably why deer avoid Pipsissewa even as they are devastating other woodland plants.  

Dry Pipsissewa capsules in winter.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Closeup of Pipsissewa capsule.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

A second species of Pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata, grows in the southeast but is rarer than C. maculata.  I like Pipsissewas because they brighten the summer with their flowers and are a splash of green even in winter.