BY LESLIE REGO
Plants within the wintergreen family are easily missed during hikes. They flourish, but blend into the shaded woods. One-sided wintergreen and green wintergreen are both prime examples of what I like to call unassuming beauties of the national forest.
Each slender stem of one-sided wintergreen holds a row of bell-shaped flowers with a straight projecting style. The flowers are pale green. The delicate blooms dangle from one side of the stem. Basal leaves cluster close to the ground.
Green wintergreen also has light-green flowers but instead of hanging from one side, they encircle the stem. The flowers are cup-like, with dainty heads. The leaves are basal, with a slightly toothed edge.
One-sided wintergreen and green wintergreen discretely hide within the shade of trees and taller plants. They are difficult to notice, but once the eyes of the wanderer rests upon these gentle plants, it is hard to glance away. They exude a quiet beauty.
However, there is one member of the wintergreen family that is a show-off! Pink wintergreen is the same size as the others, but the flowers, as the name suggests, are vivid pink. The leaves are basal, deep waxy green and heart-shaped.
In a shady glade at Galena, I can find these three wintergreen plants flourishing side by side. I always find pink wintergreen first, usually at the foot of a large Douglas fir tree. Once I locate pink wintergreen, I know that the others will be nearby.
The keen wayfarer of the woods can enjoy this family of flowers, which, like all families, travels the gamut from shy to outgoing.
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit leslierego.com.