The plant features in this document orignally appeared in Outdoor Indiana magazine in 2015 Enjoy these archived articles from Outdoor Indiana magazine? Subscribe at OutdoorIndiana.org Plant Feature n Elliptical-leaf Wintergreen (Pyrola elliptica) By Derek Nimetz ike many outdoor enthusiasts, leaves of American wintergreen American Indians used portions Lelliptical-leaf wintergreen en- are rounder and shinier than the of Pyrola plants for a variety of me- dures low temperatures, deep snow, leaves of Pyrola elliptica. dicinal treatments. The common and prefers the cooler climates of Elliptical-leaf wintergreen name shinleaf originated when Indiana’s northern counties. blooms during June and July. It smashed plants were applied to the If you want to see this plant, is a perennial forb, or wildflower, shins of sore legs as an orthopedic now is a good time. 6 to 12 inches tall. It often has aid. Pyrola species were also used The name elliptical-leaf winter- more than 10 flowers per plant, to relieve indigestion. American green leaves little to imagination. and the flowers suspend from a Indians also used infusions of the The leaves are elliptical to oval slender stalk. There are five petals leaves as mouthwash to treat sore shaped and remain green during per flower. The petals are white throats and mouth sores. winter. Other common names to cream in color with a waxy ap- Even if you’re not a winter include waxflower shinleaf, el- pearance, thus the common name outdoor enthusiast, take heart. liptic or large-leaved shinleaf, and waxflower shinleaf mentioned Elliptical-leaf wintergreen can be sometimes just shinleaf. earlier. Also, the petals can some- found and appreciated in the heat Pyrola is derived from a Latin times have green veins. of summer as well as the chill of word meaning “pear.” The reason The “style” of a flower refers to winter. Either season, visit Dunes is the leaf shape of some species a long, slender stalk that connects Nature Preserve to test your bot- in the Pyrola genus resembles the stigma and the ovary. The any skills and enjoy the beauty that fruit. style of the flower of elliptical-leaf of one of Indiana’s most distinct Of the five Pyrola species that wintergreen is its most noticeable natural areas. n have been known to occur in feature—it curves down below the Indiana, Pyrola elliptica is by petals. Using some imagination, Derek Nimetz is an ecologist with the far the most common; however, this plant’s style resembles the DNR Division of Nature Preserves in the the Indiana DNR considers even trunk of an elephant. Coastal Region. it to be a watch-list plant, which means its numbers are few. Elliptical-leaf wintergreen can be found in numerous states and provinces in North America. It prefers shady locations in oak woodlands and is often found in areas with sandy soils. Some populations of this plant are scattered along Trails 4 and 10 of Indiana Dunes State Park. Close observations are necessary when identifying Pyrola species in the park’s Dunes Nature Preserve because American wintergreen (Py- rola rotundifolia var. americana) also is found within the property. The leaves of elliptical-leaf win- tergreen are low to the ground and originate near the base of the plant. Upon close examination, the leaves have diminutive teeth along the margins. The leaf blades are mostly Frank Oliver photo as long as or longer than the leaf This perennial forb often has more than 10 flowers per plant. Each flower stalks, also known as petioles. The has 5 petals, and the flowers suspend from a slender stalk. OutdoorIndiana.org n January/February 2015 11 Plant Feature n Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) By Emily Stork hat’s in a name? same time the fish American shad ash (Sorbus), the old name for W Serviceberry, juneberry, ascends coastal streams to spawn. which was sarviss. shadbush, shadblow—these are As the petals fall and scatter Because they are coveted by just a few of the monikers by about the ground below, the dra- songbirds, wild turkeys, bobwhite which we know this small under- matic cloud-like figure Homoya quail, mourning doves, red fox, story tree. spoke of gives way to spring’s chipmunks, squirrels, and hu- While a rose by any other green-up, disappearing into the mans alike, the ripe berries may name may smell as sweet, a woodland. Upon closer inspec- be hard to find. But if you can serviceberry might surprise you. tion, the charm remains in the beat the competition, the fruit Although a member of the rose pale, soft white-downy leaves just makes delicious jams, jellies and family, Amelanchier is what beginning to unfold, revealing a juneberry pies. many botanists consider a “dif- medium-green upper surface, fine Downy serviceberry can be ficult” group. That’s because the teeth and a faintly heart-shaped found infrequently through- various species can intergrade so base. out Indiana on the dry soils of readily there is not even consen- Thanks to the early bloom, by wooded slopes and bluffs. It also sus on how many distinct species June, reddish-purple edible fruits can make an attractive native ad- there are. that look like tiny apples are ripe dition to landscaping, with its all- Not only does downy service- for picking before most other season appeal of flowers, fruits, berry have a questionable family fruits. This earns it the name yellow-to-red autumn leaf color, tree, some question if it is a tree. juneberry. and smooth, light-gray bark. The species name arborea The popular story behind the To see serviceberry in its natu- literally means “the tree,” but name serviceberry says that its ral habitat, try Trail 2 at Dunes the trunk, which typically rises early bloom cued settlers that the Nature Preserve in Indiana Dunes 10–20 feet aboveground and on ground had sufficiently thawed State Park. n rare occasions as high as 40 feet, to dig a grave and hold a funeral is often divided into several slen- service. The name is more likely Emily Stork is the ecologist covering der trunks. related to these useful little fruits the Grand Calumet Region for the DNR Is it a small tree or a tall shrub? that resemble those of mountain Division of Nature Preserves. Whichever it is, downy service- berry cuts a striking appearance in the landscape. DNR botanist Mike Homoya perhaps put it best when he said “they look like miniature cloud puffs, hanging onto bluff edges as if about to spill into the valley below.” The dense clusters of delicate white flowers open as early as March or April, before the leaves emerge. The result is an ethereal display of star-shaped flowers dangling from slender branchlets against a backdrop of dormancy. Serviceberry blooms so early that in the eastern United States it earned the name shadbush or Frank Oliver photo shadblow because, by coinci- Whether you consider it a small tree or a tall shrub, downy serviceberry is an dence, the flowers emerge at the eye-catcher whose flowers sometimes open before their leaves. OutdoorIndiana.org n March/April 2015 11 Plant Feature n bines in North America. It occurs Wild Columbine in most Indiana counties. The Hoosier state’s wild col- (Aquilegia canadensis) umbine favors shaded outcrops of limestone or rocky soils, but is also at home on sandstone cliffs, steep banks of streams, and even in well-drained floodplain forests. The tall sand dunes along Lake Michigan are another habitat for this showy plant. In the wild, this plant grows with a rather consistent suite of other plants, including wild hydrangea, witch hazel, prickly gooseberry, running strawberry bush, smooth rock cress, walking fern, purple cliff brake, hepatica, Solomon’s plume, mountain stonecrop and blue-stemmed goldenrod. Some reports indicate that the genus name Aquilegia comes from aquila, for eagle. Observ- Frank Oliver photo ers often say the curved spurs of the flowers look like eagle claws. Part of wild columbine’s common name comes from the Latin word for dove. Another source claims the genus The flower is said to look like a circle of doves. name is from the Latin word aquilegus, meaning “collecting water.” The opinion refers to ei- By Michael Homoya ther the nectar in the spurs, or to drops of water beading up on the any old-fashioned decorative Or both. leaves after a rain. Yet another Mgardens include an attrac- Wild columbine is a perennial source says the name comes from tive purple-flowered plant known member of the buttercup fam- the German word ageleia, a name as granny’s bonnet or garden ily (Ranunculaceae) that grows originally for plants that have columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris). from 1–3 feet tall. It has alternate spikes, or in the case of Aquile- It is a nice plant, but how it compound leaves and flowers gia, spurs. gained preference in gardens over with five-spurred petals, blooming The origin of the common Indiana’s native wild columbine is from April to June. name columbine is more certain. hard to figure. There are 21 native species The word is now most familiar to Not to demean the garden of columbine in North America. many people not because of the variety, but wild columbine’s Most are western mountain or flower but because of the 1999 fiery-red blossoms nearly shout canyon plants with strong prefer- shootings in the Colorado high excitement. In comparison, the ences for growing on rock. school that carries the flower’s wild version’s blooms are show- Indiana has no mountains or name. stoppers. grand canyons, and the rock That fact is both heartbreaking Lately, wild columbine’s stature outcrops, while impressive, are and tragically ironic.