Chimaphila maculata

Chimpahila maculata is a perennial subshrub occurring in mixed, coniferous, and deciduous forests and also in xeric sand communities of eastern North America from Ontario east to Quebec, Canada, and in Maine south to Florida, west to Mississippi, and north to Michigan (FNA 2009). It also occurs as a disjunct population in Arizona and in Mexico, Central America, and as an introduced exotic species in Europe. With a large range extent, more than 2,000 occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.

Chimpahila maculata occurs in eastern North America from Ontario east to Quebec, Canada, and in Maine south to Florida, west to Mississippi, and north to Michigan (FNA 2009). It also occurs as a disjunct population in Arizona and in Mexico, Central America, and as an introduced exotic species in Europe. The native range extent of Chimaphila maculata was estimated to be over 7 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be over 2,000 occurrences in the native range of the species (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).

Chimaphila maculata requires an organic litter layer of needles or leaves and grows best in rich, undisturbed soils (Moore 1978). Therefore, any activities resulting in soil disturbance or soil compaction may be a threat. Similarly, logging would be detrimental for this shade-loving plant. Although its conspecific, C. umbellata, which grows in the Pacific Northwest, is collected for medicinal purposes, there is probably little commercial demand for C. maculata (McGuffin pers. comm., 2000). However, some experts in the medicinal plant industry have suggested that demand has increased over the past ten years (Robbins 1999). Minor levels of collecting (permits for 100 lbs annually) have been reported in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests (Kauffman, pers. comm., 2000). Additional potential threats to this species include rights-of-way maintenance, fire, invasive species, recreation, and development (NatureServe 2024).