Pipsissewa, which is also known as Prince's Pine, is a short - less than one foot tall - perennial with waxy, leathery leaves that have toothed edges. The flowers are nodding and saucer-shaped, with five pink petals, ten stamens and a conspicuous green ovary. The generic Chimaphila is from the Greek for "winter" (kheima) and "to love" (phileo), referring to the evergreen leaves.
It has been over-collected for its use as a flavoring for candy, root beer and beer. The stems and the roots have also been used to make tea, and the berries are likewise edible. Native Americans found medicinal uses for it, and the dried leaves were used in smoking mixtures.
Pink Pyrola and Green-flowered Wintergreen are sort of variations on a theme as the family resemblance is striking. While the first grows taller, both have a leafless stem rising up from shiny basal leaves. Both also have nodding flowers which are nearly identical in appearance but for their color. (Their common names are a clue as to flower color and yes, I'm being facetious.)
Pink Pyrola was once considered to be an effective remedy for rheumatism by some Native Americans.
I found One-sided Wintergreen to be interesting for the appearance of its flowers. They all dangle from one side of the plant's stem, at the top, bending it downward like the bough of an apple tree sagging under the weight of its fruit. Also, the small flowers are bell-shaped, with a long style protruding from them. In fact, I first thought I was seeing the new, young fruit emerging form the pollinated flowers rather than the flowers in full bloom.
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