''Chimaphila'' (prince's pine or wintergreen; from Greek: ''cheima'' 'winter' and ''philos'' 'lover', hence 'winter lover') is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of five

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of small,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s native to temperate regions of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

. They are classified in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae () are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with about 4,250 known species spread acros ...

, but were formerly placed in the segregate family

Pyrolaceae Pyroloideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Ericaceae. It was formerly treated as a separate family, Pyrolaceae.Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards).Ericaceae ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website''. Retrieved 2014-12-29. It has also been treated as the t ...

. ;Species *'' Chimaphila japonica'' *'' Chimaphila maculata'' (spotted wintergreen, also called striped wintergreen, striped prince's pine or rheumatism root) *'' Chimaphila menziesii'' (little prince's pine) *'' Chimaphila monticola'' *''

Chimaphila umbellata ''Chimaphila umbellata'', the umbellate wintergreen, pipsissewa, or prince's pine, is a small perennial flowering plant found in dry woodlands, or sandy soils. It is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere. Description This pl ...

'' (umbellate wintergreen, pipsissewa, or prince's pine)

References

Flora of China: ''Chimaphila''
Ericaceae genera {{Ericaceae-stub