This is a picture of the newish plant that is growing along the edge of the driveway. I first noticed it during the winter, and I’ve since found it growing in two other places. It has buds on it now, and I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for it to flower. It has not been obliging.
Though identifying plants without seeing the flowers first can be difficult, the leaves on this one are distinctive, not entirely unlike another local plant, striped wintergreen. This leads me to suspect that it is a related plant, Pyrola americana (a.k.a. round-leaved pyrola, rounded shinleaf, American shinleaf, American wintergreen).
If I’m right about the identity of this plant, I would be wise not to hold my breath while waiting for it to bloom, because the flower stalks still have some growing to do. The flowering time is listed as June-August. I will write more about this plant when it finally blooms.
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