Chimaphila menziesii

Little prince's pine

Family: Ericaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Little prince's pine is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascade Range, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Sierra Nevada, southern Coast Ranges, San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, and Modoc Plateau in montane conifer forest at elevations of 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces delicate white flowers that gradually turn pink, with distinctive white-bordered leaf veins. Growing with slender stems less than 15 centimeters tall, it spreads in small, compact clusters. Its leaves are typically 1 to 3 centimeters long, arranged in clusters at each node, with edges that may be toothed or smooth. The plant's flowers feature filaments with a distinctive hairy base, adding to its subtle woodland charm.

Habitat: Uncommon. Montane conifer forest

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1000-2500 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaRH, n SNF, SNH, SCoRO, SnGb, SnBr, PR, MP

California counties: Humboldt, Fresno, Tulare, Monterey, Trinity, San Diego, Butte, El Dorado, Los Angeles, Shasta, Riverside, San Bernardino, Siskiyou, Sierra, Plumas, Lake, Lassen, Nevada, Modoc, Del Norte, Glenn, Kern, Tehama, Mendocino, Placer, Tuolumne, Napa, Colusa, Santa Clara

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.