Green-flowered wintergreen (pyrola chlorantha), Brown Creek Trail, Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Common name:
Green-flowered wintergreen
Family:
Scientific name:
Pyrola chlorantha
Main flower color:
Range:
The Rocky Mountain states and all states to the west, except California
Height:
Up to 9 inches
Habitat:
Coniferous woodland, from near sea level to 12,000 feet
Leaves:
Ovate to round, stalked, hairless, shiny, (usually) with toothed margins
Season:
June to August
Pyrola chlorantha can be identified by the green tint to its flower petals and by the style, which projects well beyond the petals and is somewhat curved, above the middle. Flowers are pendent, so the style points downwards. The calyx lobes are green to pinkish, triangular in shape, while the petals are obovate, around 0.3 inches long, rounded at the tip, with finely irregular margins. The ten stamens have pale green filaments and tubular, yellow-brown anthers. Flowers are arranged in a vertical cluster, usually containing between two and eight heads. Pedicels are subtended by small bracts.
Leaves have blades up to 1 inch long, attached by stalks of up to 2 inches. Leaf margins may be entire, or lined by small teeth, sharp or rounded. Leaf stems are usually reddish, while surfaces are glabrous.
Leaves have blades up to 1 inch long, attached by stalks of up to 2 inches. Leaf margins may be entire, or lined by small teeth, sharp or rounded. Leaf stems are usually reddish, while surfaces are glabrous.
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