[The Heath Family East of the Cascade Mts.]
The Wintergreens or Pyrolas East of the Cascade Mts.

The Genus Pyrola

Large pyrola: Pyrola asarifolia

1. 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.

2. Large Pyrola, Liverleaf Wintergreen, Pink Pyrola: Pyrola asarifolia - Flowers 5-20, pink to rose-purple in color. The style is strongly bend and curved downward. Leaves are elliptic to orbicular in shape and a dark shiny green. (var. asarifolia & var. bracteata)

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Lesser Wintergreen, Snowline Pyrola: Pyrola minor - 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.

6. White Pyrola, White-veined Wintergreen: Pyrola picta - Flowers 10-25 on reddish-brown stems, yellow to greenish-white or purplish in color. Style bent, about 1 cm long. Leaves are mostly basal, green with whitish veins.

7. Sidebells Pyrola: Orthilia secunda (formerly Pyrola secunda var. 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.

8. Woodnymph, Single Delight: Moneses uniflora (formerly Pyrola uniflora) - Flowers solitary, white in color and nodding. Leaves present at the base of the single stem.

Paul Slichter E-Mail