Chimaphila
Encyclopedia
Chimaphila is a genus
of five species
of small, evergreen
, flowering plant
s native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
. They are classified in the family Ericaceae
, but were formerly placed in the segregate family Pyrolaceae
.
Species
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of five species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small, evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
, flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
. They are classified in the family Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, but were formerly placed in the segregate family Pyrolaceae
Pyrolaceae
Pyrolaceae was a small family of flowering plants under the old Cronquist system of plant classification. It included the four genera Chimaphila, Moneses, Orthilia, and Pyrola, and sometimes also the eight genera formerly usually placed in the family Monotropaceae.Recent genetic research by the...
.
Species
- Chimaphila japonica
- Chimaphila maculataChimaphila maculataChimaphila maculata is a small , perennial evergreen herb native to eastern North America and Central America, from southern Quebec west to Illinois, and south to Florida and Panama.It has dark green, variegated leaves 2-7 cm in length, and 6-26 mm in...
- Chimaphila menziesiiChimaphila menziesiiChimaphila menziesii is a species of perennial wildflower in the heath family known by the common name little prince's pine. This 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...
- Chimaphila monticola
- Chimaphila umbellataChimaphila umbellataChimaphila umbellata is a small perennial flowering plant found in dry woodlands, or sandy soils. It is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere....