Chimaphila maculata (L.) Pursh

• Authority

  Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Pyrolaceae

• Scientific Name

  Chimaphila maculata (L.) Pursh

• Type

  Type. U.S.A. Virginia, without definite locality, s.d. (fl), Clayton 88 (lectotype [Reveal et al., 1987: 232], BM- n.v.).

• Synonyms

  Chimaza maculata R.Br. ex D.Don, Chimaphila maculata var. acuminata Lange, Chimaphila dasystemma Torr. ex Rydb., Chimaphila guatemalensis Rydb., Chimaphila maculata subsp. kochii Andres, Chimaphila costaricens Andres, Chimaphila kochii Andres, Chimaphila dasystephana T.D.Penn., Chimaphila menziesii (R.Br.) Spreng., Pyrola maculata L., Pseva maculata (L.) Kuntze, Chimaphila acuminata (Lange) Rydb., Chimaphila maculata var. dasystemma (Torr. ex Rydb.) Kearney & Peebles

• Description

  Species Description - Subshrubs, 1-5.3 dm tall. Leaves spreading, clustered in 2-5 pseudo-whorls of 2-5 leaves each, the pseudo-whorls separated by conspicuous, 1-7 cm long internodes, thick-coriaceous, narrowly lanceolate, lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, or ovate, 2-10 × 0.8-3.1 cm, basally obtuse, rounded, or widely cuneate, apically acute or acuminate, margin coarsely and remotely 3-15-toothed with sharp and salient teeth occurring the length of the leaf margin, lustrous or shiny dark-green above and marked with a broad whitish line on the midrib and larger secondary veins (i.e., maculated), pale reddish-purple below; midvein impressed above; petioles terete to slightly channeled, smooth, 3-13 mm long, reddish-brown. Inflorescences (l-)2-5-flowered; peduncles usually solitary but sometimes two from a single stem, finely papillate, 4-18.5 cm long, light reddish-brown; pedicels finely papillate, 3-6 mm long, light reddish-brown; floral bracts inserted well below the calyx, membranaceous, acicular to linear-lanceolate, acute, slightly denticulate, 4-6 x ca. 0.5 mm, papillate toward the base, smooth above, dark brown. Flowers: calyx 4-6 mm long, bases overlapping, lobes broadly ovate, rounded, erose-denticulate, 1.4-4.1 × 1.3-4.5 mm, pink (?), reflexed in fruit; corolla broadly crateriform, 15-20 × 10-15 mm, white or pink, with a tinge of violet, petals orbicular, 6-12 × 4.5-8 mm, margins fimbriate or erose-denticulate; stamens 6-8 mm long; filaments 4-6 mm long, the dilated portion densely villous, violet-purple (?); anthers 2-4 mm long, light brown; ovary depressed-globose; stigma 2-3.5 mm diam. Capsule 5-10 mm tall, 5-10 mm diam.

• Discussion

  Chimaphila maculata, which is restricted to the New World, shows much variation with respect to leaf shape, leaf size, number of teeth on the leaf margins (Fig. 5), and degree of maculation. In general, there is little correlation of morphology with geography. The populations found in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico (Fig. 5A-D), however, tend to have ovate leaves. Rydberg (1914) referred these specimens to C. dasystemma, but the ovateleaved type of C. dasystemma is a depauperate specimen that matches collections from Guanajuato, Guerrero, and Hidalgo. Leaf morphology in these plants seems to be correlated with age since these specimens have not only older, ovate leaves but also frequently younger, lanceolate or oblong lanceolate leaves. The latter are more typical of C. maculata s. str. (i.e., the acuminate-leaved form that occurs in Mexico and Central America; Fig. 5E-P). Camp (1939a) considered the Sierra Madre Occidental specimens to be unusually robust examples of C. menziesii, but the specimens lack the rotund or broadly obovate, persistent bracts that occur on the pedicels and which define C. menziesii.

  The tendency of the Sierra Madre Occidental populations to have ovate leaves is the only character that appears to set them apart from other populations of Chimaphila maculata and, as such, does not justify their formal taxonomic recognition. There is considerable overlap in quantifiable characters (e.g., leaf length, leaf width, leaf length/width ratios, number of teeth on the leaf margins, petiole length, number of flowers in an inflorescence, sepal length, sepal width, sepal length/width ratios, etc.) between the Sierra Madre Occidental populations and those found in the rest of Mexico, Central America, and eastern North America (Dorr, unpubl.).
  Rydberg (1914), in addition to recognizing Chimaphila dasystemma, recognized other segregates of C. maculata. Camp (1939a) presented reasonable arguments for placing those names in synonymy under C. maculata.

• Common Names

  dowísawa, encinilla, hierba del hígado, návaita binaragadü, rojlsuwi, rujisua, yerba del hígado, hierba de madroño, pirinola

• Distribution

  Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Durango Mexico North America| Guanajuato Mexico North America| Guerrero Mexico North America| Hidalgo Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| México Mexico North America| Michoacán Mexico North America| Nayarit Mexico North America| Nuevo León Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America| Sonora Mexico North America| Tamaulipas Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Baja Verapaz Guatemala Central America| Chimaltenango Guatemala Central America| Chiquimula Guatemala Central America| Guatemala Guatemala Central America| Huehuetenango Guatemala Central America| Jalapa Guatemala Central America| Jalapa Guatemala Central America| Quiché Guatemala Central America| San Marcos Guatemala Central America| Santa Rosa Guatemala Central America| Sololá Guatemala Central America| Zacapa Guatemala Central America| Honduras Central America| Morazán Honduras Central America| Intibucá Honduras Central America| Ocotepeque Honduras Central America| El Salvador Central America| Morazán El Salvador Central America| San Miguel El Salvador Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Matagalpa Nicaragua Central America| Nueva Segovia Nicaragua Central America|