[The Heath Family East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Wintergreens and Pyrolas East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington

The Genus Pyrola

Flower of Large pyrola: Pyrola asarifolia

Large pyrola: Pyrola asarifolia

Woodnymph, Wood Nymph, Single-delight, Single Delight: Moneses uniflora (Synonyms: Moneses uniflora ssp. reticulata, Moneses uniflora ssp. uniflora, Moneses uniflora var. reticulata, Pyrola uniflora) - Flowers solitary, white in color and nodding. Leaves present at the base of the single stem.

One-sided Pyrola, Sidebells, Sidebells Pyrola, Sidebells Wintergreen: Orthilia secunda (Synonyms: Orthilia secunda ssp. obtusata, Orthilia scunda var. obtusata, Pyrola secunda, Pyrola secunda ssp. obtusata, Pyrola secunda var. obtusata, Pyrola secunda var. secunda, Ramischia elatior, Ramischia secunda) - Flowers several to may in a one-sided raceme on the stem, white or pinkish in color. Style straight, longer than petals, 3-4 mm long. Leaves are simple and ovate, and mostly basal.Leafless Wintergreen: Pyrola aphylla - Flowers several on the stem, pinkish or cream in color but not white. No true leaves are found at the base of the plant, although tiny bract-like leaves may be found there.

Alpine Pyrola, Bog Wintergreen, Large Pyrola, Liverleaf Wintergreen, Pink Pyrola, Pink Wintergreen: Pyrola asarifolia ssp. asarifolia (Synonyms: Pyrola asarifolia var. asarifolia, Pyrola asarifolia var. incarnata, Pyrola asarifolia var. ovata, Pyrola asarifolia var. purpurea, Pyrola californica, Pyrola elata, Pyrola rotundifolia ssp. asarifolia, Pyrola uliginosa, Pyrola uliginosa var. gracilis) - Herbaceous wildflower to 16 inches in height. Leaves are simple, alternate, ovate in shape, and a light shiny green. The flowers are an open bell shape, and are pink in color. The style is strongly bent or curved.The leaves are not toothed and are rounded to shallowly heart-shaped at the base. The sepals are less than 3.5 mm long. For this variety, the leaves are round, ovate, elliptic or kidney-shaped in outline with entire or crenulate margins. The calyx lobe apices vary from acute to acuminate.

Large Pyrola, Long-bracted Wintergreen, Pink Wintergreen: Pyrola asarifolia ssp. bracteata (Synonyms: Pyrola asarifolia var. bracteata, Pyrola bracteata, Pyrola bracteata var. hillii) - Herbaceous wildflower to 16 inches in height. Leaves are simple, alternate, ovate in shape, and a light shiny green. The flowers are an open bell shape, and are pink in color. The style is strongly bent or curved. The leaves are lined with small teekth and squared off or rounded at the base. The sepals are 3.5 mm long or longer.For this variety, the leaf blades are ovate of elliptic in outline with denticulate (occasionally entire) margins. The calyx lobe apices are acuminate.

Greenish Wintergreen, Greenflowered Wintergreen, Green-flowered Wintergreen: Pyrola chlorantha (Synonyms: Pyrola chlorantha var. convoluta, Pyrola chlorantha var. paucifolia, Pyrola chlorantha var. revoluta, Pyrola convoluta, Pyrola oxypetala, Pyrola virens, Pyrola virens var. convoluta, Pyrola virens var. saximontana) - Flowers 2-10, greenish-white. Style curved. Leaf petioles much longer than the blades. The leaves are feew and rounded in shape.

Toothed Wintergreen: Pyrola dentata - Flowers 5-20, greenish or cream-colored. The style is strongly bent. Leaves leathery, glaucous-green and lanceolate to spatulate or suborbicular in shape. The margins are entire to toothed.

Lesser Wintergreen, Snowline Pyrola: Pyrola minor (Synonyms: Braxilia minor, Erxlebenia minor, Pyrola minor var. parviflora) - Flowers 5-20 on the stem, white in color and on both sides of the stem. The style is straight and shorter than the petals, from 1-2 mm long. Leaves broadly elliptic to obovate, from 1-3 cm long.

Nootka Wintergreen, Shinleaf, White Pyrola, Toothleaf Pyrola, White-vein Pyrola, White-vein Shinleaf, Whiteveined Wintergreen, White-veined Wintergreen: Pyrola picta (Synonyms: Pyrola aphylla, Pyrola aphylla var. leptosepala, Pyrola aphylla var. paucifolia, Pyrola blanda, Pyrola conardiana, Pyrola dentata, Pyrola dentata var. apophylla, Pyrola dentata var. integra, Pyrola pallida, Pyrola paradoxa, Pyrola picta ssp. dentata, Pyrola picta ssp. integra, Pyrola picta ssp. pallida, Pyrola picta var. aphylla, Pyrola picta var. dentata, Pyrola picta var. picta, Pyrola septentrionalis, Pyrola sparsifolia) - Herbaceous wildflower to 12 inches in height. Leaves are mostly basal, green with whitish veins. The flowers are white, with an open, bell shape. The style is bent or curved and longer than the petals.


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