[The Heath Family in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Wintergreens of the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

The Genus Pyrola

Pink wintergreen: Pyrola asarifolia ssp. asarifolia

Pink wintergreen: Pyrola asarifolia ssp. asarifolia

Single-delight, Single Delight, Woodnymph, Wood Nymph: Moneses uniflora ((Synonyms: Moneses uniflora ssp. reticulata, Moneses uniflora ssp. uniflora, Moneses uniflora var. reticulata, Pyrola uniflora) - Small herbs with mostly basal, rounded and sharply toothed leaves with a single white blossom nodding atop the floral stem which reaches 5-15 cm high.

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) - Herbaceous wildflower to 6 inches in height. Leaves are simple and ovate, and mostly basal. The flowers are like small green bells that line one side of the flower stem above the leaves.

Leafless Wintergreen: Pyrola aphylla

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.

Lesser Wintergreen, Snowline Pyrola: Pyrola minor (Synonyms: Braxilia minor, Erxlebenia minor, Pyrola minor var. parviflora) - A small species with green, oval-shaped basal leaves and a raceme of 5-20 whitish to pinkish flowers atop stems 10-20 cm high. The style is straight and typically shorter than the petals.

Leafless Pyrola, Shinleaf, White 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. Note some members of this species may lack leaves.


Paul Slichter E-mail