Spotted Wintergreen An Evergreen Woodland Herb

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One of the flowers that I look for each summer in our woodlands is called Spotted Wintergreen. It’s a low-growing, native perennial with evergreen leaves.

Spotted wintergreen blooming from established foliage.
Spotted wintergreen blooming from established foliage. Photo taken 26 June 2011.

Spotted wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata, has thick, tapering evergreen leaves. Its leaves can be found all year long, sometimes hidden by the leaf litter. A pale streak runs down the middle of each leaf, which tells of its alternate name, Striped Wintergreen. New growth is light green, while that which has overwintered is a dark green.

Two or three basal leaves underlie a whorl of three pointed leaves. A reddish-purple flower stem rises from the center of the whorl of leaves and ends with one to three upside-down flowers. The nodding flowers might look like miniature street lamps, where the stem rises up and curls over to support each downward-pointing blossom. The whole plant is only 4 to 10 inches tall.

Side view of flowering spotted wintergreen.
Side view of flowering spotted wintergreen. Photo taken 26 June 2011.

New growth comes up from underground runners and the new foliage is a much lighter green than the older leaves.

The stems are very stiff, and since the flower is so low to the ground it had to be turned sideways to see the center of the blossom.

Unusual arrangement of stamens in the downward hanging flowers.
Unusual arrangement of stamens in the downward hanging flowers. Photo taken 26 June 2011.
Pale midribs on leaves of spotted wintergreen.
Pale midribs on leaves of spotted wintergreen. Photo taken 26 June 2011.
Spotted wintergreen blooming underneath a white pine tree.
Spotted wintergreen blooming underneath a white pine tree. Photo taken 4 July 2011.
Looking down on two blooms of spotted wintergreen and some fallen petals from a third blossom.
Looking down on two blooms of spotted wintergreen and some fallen petals from a third blossom. Photo taken 4 July 2011.
Closeup side-view of spotted wintergreen flowers.
Closeup side-view of spotted wintergreen flowers. Photo taken 4 July 2011

Wintergreen Bells Open for Teaberry Blooms

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Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, is also called Checkerberry or Teaberry. You might be familiar with Teaberry Gum or Teaberry Ice Cream – well, the flavor comes from wintergreen. It’s a low-growing plant that can be found in woodlands, especially in northern areas of the eastern US and Canada, and in the mountains toward the south. It’s a member of the Heath family, Ericaceae.

The evergreen leaves of wintergreen are thick and leathery, shiny ovals. New growth appears in a light green and the older growth that has overwintered may have shades of purple. Damage to the slightly toothed leaves can be seen on many plants, but they still seem to function ok.

Wintergreen is a perennial woodland plant. The plants are found in colonies. Stems rise up from underground runners that creep along, so several “plants” found together are really several branches from a common underground stem.

A cluster of wintergreen plants.
A cluster of wintergreen plants. Photo taken 26 June 2011.

Wintergreen flowers are small, drooping egg shapes before they open into bells that are reminiscent of huckleberry or blueberry blossoms. Each flower hangs from a leaf axil, usually one per leaf. The blooming period is late June through July.

Dangling white flowers of wintergreen are spotted with pink.
Dangling white flowers of wintergreen are spotted with pink. Photo taken 26 June 2011.
Sometimes the leaves and flowers of wintergreen are obscured by the leaf litter.
Sometimes the leaves and flowers of wintergreen are obscured by the leaf litter. Photo taken 26 June 2011.

The white and pink dangling wintergreen flowers are lightly fragrant, as are the leaves and fruit. The leaves taste of wintergreen and have been used in making tea.

Teaberry in bloom.
Teaberry in bloom. Photo taken 26 June 2011.
The smallest blooming wintergreen plant measures less than two inches across.
The smallest blooming wintergreen plant measures less than two inches across. Photo taken 4 July 2011.

Red, round wintergreen fruits will develop in the fall, some of which will overwinter and still be seen in the springtime.

Field Pennycress With Peppery Seeds

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Weeds crop up in many places, especially where the soil has been disturbed. Any gardener can attest to that. Among the weeds that appear along roads and in fields are several members of the mustard family, such as Field Pennycress and Field Peppergrass.

Field Pennycress, Thlaspi arvense, an alien to America, can be found in dry, cleared woods, in waste areas, at the roadside and in fields. Places where the soil has been disturbed are likely habitats for this foot and a half tall weed.

Mature plant of Field Pennycress showing many developing seed pods.
Mature plant of Field Pennycress showing many developing seed pods. Photo taken 13 May 2011.

These plants get started early enough that they can complete their life cycle before the end of Spring. Basal rosettes will overwinter from the previous autumn, which makes this plant a biennial. Seeds are developed as early as May, but individual plants can be found growing and producing seeds throughout the growing season.

Seed pods are flat, circular “pennies” with a definite notch at the top. This notch differentiates field pennycress from other similar seed-producing mustards.

Developing seed pods are still green.
Developing seed pods are still green. Note the definite notch at the top of each seed pod that identifies this plant as Field Pennycress. Photo taken 13 May 2011.
Leaves are toothed and clasp the stem in Field Pennycress.
Leaves are toothed and clasp the stem in Field Pennycress. Photo taken 13 May 2011.
Flowers of four small white petals.
Flowers of four small white petals are a hallmark character of a member of the Mustard family, Cruciferae, as in this field pennycress. Photo taken 9 June 2011.

As the seed pods dry out the seeds can be seen through the thinning pods, especially when held up to the light.

The small brown field pennycress seeds can be seen through the translucent seed pod.
The small brown field pennycress seeds can be seen through the translucent seed pod. Photo taken 9 June 2011.

This one small plant produced a half-teaspoon of seeds. As far as seed production goes, I’m not sure if that’s a lot from just one plant. Collecting the seeds from two plants would make a teaspoon of seeds, six plants for a tablespoon, and 18 plants for a quarter of a cup.

Field pennycress seed pods split down the middle to release their 2 mm long seeds.
Field pennycress seed pods split down the middle to release their 2 mm long seeds. Photo taken 9 June 2011.

The seeds taste like a sharp mustard or peppery flavor. If you could collect a quantity of them, they could be crushed to use in a spicy homemade mustard. Or the seeds could be used in a spice grinder as a poor gal’s pepper. Or even try cooking with it whole, say in potato salad, substituting field pennycress seeds for mustard seed, or dropping some seeds into a vegetable stir-fry to add a little spicy flavor.

White Wild Licorice Flowers in the Summer Woods

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While chopping out some of the multiflora rose that had introduced itself onto a new section of the farmer’s lane, I uncovered a new plant. I knew the moment I saw it, that it was one I was unfamiliar with. The briars of the thorny roses were tossed into a heap away from the little new plant.

This new plant was indeed a small one. It grew from a few to several inches tall in the filtered shade under the canes of the rose bush.

White Wild Licorice, Galium circaezans, has tiny white flowers in clusters and leaves in whorls of four. Yellow Wild Licorice, G. lanceolatum, is a similar species with yellow flowers.

Wild white licorice on the south side of the farmer's lane.
Wild white licorice on the south side of the farmer's lane. Photo taken 23 June 2011.

Plants found growing along with white wild licorice include spotted touch-me-not, poison ivy, blackberry, elderberry and maple, among others.

Leaves are uniform in appearance with a certain symmetry of four leaves in a whorl. Each softly hairy leaf is entire, blunt or rounded at the tips, and oval in shape. Leaves have three distinct veins and have a broad appearance.

Four leaves in whorls helps to identify wild licorices.
Four leaves in whorls helps to identify wild licorice. Photo taken 23 June 2011.

The blossoms are tiny, greenish-white flowers, each having four pointed petals.

Tiny flowers of wild licorice at the tips of stems.
Tiny flowers of wild licorice at the tips of stems. Photo taken 23 June 2011.

Wild licorice blooms over a period of a couple weeks or longer. Flowers develop into seed pods that look like little spheres with fuzzy surfaces.

Cluster of tiny seed pods from flowers of wild licorice.
Cluster of tiny seed pods from flowers of wild licorice. Photo taken 23 June 2011.
Leaves of wild licorice have three prominent veins.
Leaves of wild licorice have three prominent veins. Photo taken 2 July 2011.

Leaves really do taste like licorice. Chewing a leaf releases a cool, sweet taste that is reminiscent of stevia, but with a very pleasant aftertaste. Sometimes stevia is said to have a metallic aftertaste. Because of the licorice taste, I wonder how anyone has used wild licorice.

There is no mention of G. circaezans in the Peterson medicinal or edible plant field guides. Another member of the Bedstraw (Madder) family, Rubiaceae, called Cleavers, G. aparine, is listed as having diuretic and hypotensive properties.

Whorled Pogonia No Blooming for Wild Orchid

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Every year I comb through our wooded acres to see certain plants blooming and to find new discoveries. One of the plants I look for is called Whorled Pogonia, Isotria verticillata, a member of the Orchid family, Orchidaceae.

As far as I know the whorled pogonia in our small area on the mountain ridge has only bloomed once in seven years. They didn’t bloom in 2011, but they put on a show in 2010. When it does bloom, whorled pogonia flowers in May and June in moist acid woods and thickets in the eastern U.S..

Whorled pogonia flowers are an interesting oddity. The lipped flower, typical of orchids, is greenish-yellow with some streaks of purple or maroon.

The plants start coming up in May as little pinwheels. They continue to grow taller and get bigger for a few weeks until the leaves are two to four inches long. The individual plants remain standing for the summer, unless a big foot or critter knocks them over. In the autumn the foliage may turn to yellow before going back to the earth.

Eight whorled pogonia plants grow among the sassafras, lowbush blueberries and oak saplings.
Eight whorled pogonia plants grow among the sassafras, lowbush blueberries and oak saplings. Photos taken 14 June 2011.

Whorled pogonia has five leaves, and sometimes six, in a single whorl.

Five leaves are typical for whorled pogonia.
Five leaves are typical for whorled pogonia.
Sometimes pogonia leaves get misshapen when they burst through the forest floor in Spring or by animal activities.
Sometimes pogonia leaves get misshapen when they burst through the forest floor in Spring or by animal activities.
Fewer plants have six leaves to a whorl.
Fewer plants have six leaves to a whorl.
Sassafras saplings grow in the same area as whorled pogonia.
Sassafras saplings grow in the same area as whorled pogonia.

Leaves are parallel-veined and widest near the tips. Terminal ends may have pointed or rounded tips.

Apparently there are no edible or medicinal properties of interest in whorled pogonia. However, it would make a delightful addition to a native woodland garden, provided that it’s planted in the shade.

Surprise Blue-Eyed Grass in the Lawn

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One side of the lawn was allowed to grow long for the want of a mower. Before the machine was fixed the grass reached a foot high and some went to seed. The area really didn’t look that bad because of the sparseness of the grass. It is a very shady area that has a cool dampness to it. The grass that grows here is thin and different from the grass growing in sunnier spots. To my surprise there appeared a new plant in the unmowed area, Blue-Eyed Grass.

Blue-eyed grasses easily hide among the grass in the lawn, especially when not in flower.
Blue-eyed grasses easily hide among the grass in the lawn, especially when not in flower. Note the flower bud on the top right and the seed pods on the top left. Photo taken at 9:30 a.m., 9 June 2011.

(Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

The blue-eyed grass was only noticed when a blossom had opened. There it was, this cute, light blue flower with a yellow “eye” ring and curiously pointed tips on its petals.

Blue-eyed grasses are members of the Iris family, Iridaceae. Nine or ten species native to the USA of the Sisyrinchium genus are separated according to branching of the flower stalk and the shapes of the leaves and stems.

Leaves are grass-like blades. The central rib of each leaf blade is enlarged and that is easily felt by running your fingers down the leaf.

Leaf blades of blue-eyed grass.
Leaf blades of blue-eyed grass. Photo taken 9 June 2011.

Green seed pods develop into round balls that dangle at the tips of the flower stems.

Flowers are true to iris form with three petals and three sepals making the blossom appear to have six petals. Each “petal” has a pointed tip.

Blue eyes are open in the grass by the afternoon.
Blue eyes are open in the grass by the afternoon or perhaps whenever they get enough sunlight. Photo taken at 2:45 p.m., 9 June 2011.
Flower petals are adorned with pointed tips.
Flower petals are adorned with pointed tips. Photo taken 9 June 2011.

The species of blue-eyed grass here is Stout Blue-eyed Grass, S. angustifolium, also called Pointed Blue-eyed Grass, as the stems are branched, leaves are less than a quarter-inch wide, and the flower stalks are long. It’s a perennial that reaches 4-18 inches tall. According to Peterson’s Medicinal Plants Guide, blue-eyed grass leaf and root teas were once used as a laxative, to expel worms, to treat stomach-ache, and in children, to relieve diarrhea.

Wild Anise Root Is A Native Cousin to Parsley

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The Parsley family, Umbelliferae or Apiaceae, encompasses dozens of useful plants with similar features, like flowers with five petals in umbels or umbrella-like clusters near the top of the plant. Leaves are toothed and divided, sometimes very finely. Examples are herbs and roots we commonly use in the kitchen, like parsley, dill, cilantro, fennel, and carrots.

Two native Parsley family members that can be found in the woodlands of the eastern U.S. are Sweet Cicely, Osmorhiza claytonii, and Anise Root, O. longistylis, which are very similar in appearance. Either of these woodland plants would look nice in a herb garden. The foliage is leafy and fern-like and the flowers dainty.

The main character differences are that Sweet Cicely is a softly hairy plant, while Anise Root is nearly smooth. Also, anise root has slightly longer stamen tips, hence the specific epithet longistylis.

The anise root plant photographed here was growing along a country road. It was still flowering near the end of May in Pennsylvania.

Anise Root plant nearing the end of its blooming period.
Anise Root plant nearing the end of its blooming period. Note the seeds developing in the upper right and the last umbel of flowers on the left.

(Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

Take Caution: The leaves of Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum, are similar in appearance. Do not ingest any part of any plant without a positive identification.

Sweet Cicely and Anise Root leaves are less highly divided, and potentially much smaller than, the leaves of poison hemlock.

Compound leaves of anise root.
Compound leaves of anise root.

Poison hemlock leaves have a bad smell when crushed, unlike the Osmorhiza which smell of anise or licorice. The sense of smell may be a poor indicator for some folks, so do not rely on this feature alone to distinguish poison hemlock from anise root.

Anise root stems are purple and smooth, while the stems of poison hemlock are spotted with purple.

Purple stems of anise root.
Purple stems of anise root.

Poison hemlock umbels are full of tiny flowers that make them look like several white spheres that may be held several feet high. Overall, poison hemlock plants are more substantial and grow taller. The umbels in Sweet Cicely and Anise Root are much more sparse with flowers than those of poison hemlock and they rise only 1-2 feet off the ground.

A compound umbel of anise root flowers.
A compound umbel of anise root flowers. Note the size and sparse number of individual flowers in each small umbel that make up the larger compound umbel.

Peterson’s Edible Wild Plants Guide tells us that the roots and green fruits smell of anise and that they can be used for flavoring. I’m curious, does anyone use this woodland herb?

Poison Ivy Flowers in Orange and Green

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A plant that strikes terror in some who have fallen victim to its skin-eruptive oils is Poison Ivy, Rhus radicans. It’s surprising how many people don’t know what poison ivy looks like. We always point it out when berry picking or taking a hike in the woods. People should know not to come into contact with those three leaves.

A poison ivy rash is something to be avoided at all times. Worse than an insect bite, poison ivy rashes can spread when the affected area is scratched. Pustules can break open and release liquids which easily spreads the plant’s oils that blister the skin.

TIP: Do everything you can to not scratch the itchy, reddened blotches for your rash to go away the fastest. Wash contaminated clothing before re-wearing.

What does Poison Ivy look like? A popular saying to remind one what it looks like is, “Leaflets in three, let them be”.

Poison ivy is a vine that often grows along trails and areas at the edges of forests. It may grow from underground roots or from runners along the ground and up into the trees. Look for hairy roots on vines that can be several inches in diameter which have grown up the trunks of large trees.

Poison Ivy leaflets in three can be seen to the left of Wild Geranium in bloom.
Poison Ivy leaflets in three can be seen to the left of Wild Geranium in bloom. Photo taken 29 May 2011.

Two triplicate leaves can be seen in the below image. Each leaf is a palmately compound leaf, meaning that one leaf consists of a long stem plus the three leaflets. Flower clusters arise where the two leaf stalks meet at the main stem.

Two Poison Ivy leaves in threes lie on either side of a cluster of flowers.
Two Poison Ivy leaves in threes lie on either side of a cluster of flowers.

The flowers of poison ivy may be seen on mature plants as clusters of orange and light green blossoms that occur in the leaf axils. Petals are light green to whitish and the stamens are orange.

Flower cluster showing orange stamens and light green flower petals.
Flower cluster showing orange stamens and light green flower petals.

Flowers develop into white berries during the summer. Birds and small mammals eat them. People should avoid them as they are poisonous to the touch from all parts of the plant, including the leaves, flowers and berries.