Ferns-template

An evergreen shrub, about 1 to 3 feet tall, generally found in moist woods, swamps and bogs. The deep pink, 5-petalled cup-shaped flowers (ź to ˝ inch wide) develop in a cluster partway up the stem, i.e., not terminal, with new leaf growth above. Note the stamens bent over with the anthers held in a pocket in the petals until released by the touch of an insect pollinator. Lower leaves (1.5 to 2 inches long) are narrow, dull, dark green above and pale below, and tend to droop.

(Photographed by Sandy Dardick at Mer Bleue, Ottawa ON - June 6, 2002)