Phonetic: ky-MAF-ih-luh mak-yuh-LAY-tuh
Spotted Wintergreen is a small evergreen perennial native to the forests of eastern North America. It prefers a shaded to partially shaded environment making it a good choice for a woodland garden. This plant prefers to grow in dry to moderately moist soil . Because it is partly mycoheterotrophic—(a plant which derives nourishment from soil fungi)—it tends to thrive best in undisturbed, woodland ecosystems where those fungal associations are well established.
Spotted wintergreen blooms in mid to late summer, typically from June through August. Its delicate nodding flowers are white or pale pink with distinctively curved petals. After blooming, the plant produces small seed capsules that mature by late summer or early fall, splitting open to release dust-like seeds to be dispersed by the wind. These seeds require the presence of compatible mycorrhizal fungi to germinate successfully, making their establishment closely tied to healthy soil conditions.
Spotted Wintergreen plays a subtle but important role in garden biodiversity. Its evergreen leaves contribute to year-round ground cover, its flowers attract small native bees and other pollinators, providing a nectar source during the mid-summer months when few other shade-loving plants are in bloom.
- Hardiness Zone: 5-8
- Native Region: BONAP Map
- BONAP Map Key Color Guide: Map Color Key
- Sun Exposure: Part Shade, Shade
- Flower Color: Pink, White
- Bloom Time: June, July, August
- Soil Type: Dry, Medium Dry
- Mature Plant Size: 0.6-1'H, 6-9''W
- Plant Spacing: 1'
- Attracts: Bees, Butterflies,
- Advantages: Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Poor Soil Tolerant
- Landscape Uses: Shade Garden, Ground Cover
- Companion Plants: Christmas Fern, Partridge Berry, Mountain Laurel
