Minnesota Plant Life. 



351 



cemes. The green-flowered strongly resembles the round- 

 leafed wintergreen, except that the leaves are of a dull green 

 color above and the flowers are greenish-white with slight 

 fragrance. The shinleaf, unlike the two preceding species, 

 has papery rather than leathery leaves, and these are broad 

 and rounded with blades rather longer than their stems. The 

 flowers in this variety are greenish-white and very sweet- 

 scented. The bog wintergreen, found in cold peat-bogs, has 

 the leaves of the green-flowered wintergreen — that is to say, 

 they are broadly oval, leathery and of a dull green. The flow- 

 ers, however, are purple, thus easily distinguishing 

 this variety. The pink-flowered or heart-leafed 

 wintergreen is very similar to the bog wintergreen, 

 but may be recognized by the heart-shaped bases 

 of the leaves. The flowers are rose-pink or some- 

 times purple. 



All the wintergreens mentioned have the stigma 

 depressed towards the under side of the flower. 

 The remaining varieties have central stig- 

 mas. The lesser wintergreen resembles 

 in most of its characters the green-flow- 

 ered, but has the thin leaves of the shin- 

 leaf wintergreen. The stamens do not, 

 as in the previous varieties, diverge from 

 the fruit-rudiment, but close around it in 

 the open flower. The serrate-leafed win- 

 tergreen has flowers very much like those 

 of the lesser wintergreen, but the leaves 

 are almost plum-leaf shape with teeth along the margin. 



Besides the forms already noted, there are two others that 

 are but slightly different from the typical varieties. The round- 

 leafed wintergreen sometimes produces leaves red-veined or 

 red instead of shining green, and in this form it is known as 

 the red-leafed wintergreen. The serrated wintergreen, which 

 is usually from four to ten inches in height, with a number 

 of flowers in a one-sided raceme, may exist as a low plant, 

 less than four inches high, with from three to eight flowers 

 and rounded leaves. It is then known as the low serrated 

 wintergreen. The leaves of all the species are rather pleasant 



Fig. 168. Wintergreen plant 

 in flower. After Atkin- 

 son. 



