Pyrola elliptica Nutt.
white wintergreen (shinleaf; waxflower shinleaf)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
(Previously in Pyrolaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
white wintergreen (shinleaf; waxflower shinleaf)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
(Previously in Pyrolaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a spreading, slender rhizome; flowering stems 15-25 cm tall, with many basal leaves.
Leaves:
Basal, evergreen, somewhat leathery, the blades broadly elliptic to oblong or egg-shaped, mostly 3.5-7 cm long and about 3/4 as wide, fine-toothed, thin, and dull; stalks rarely as long as blades.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a 2- to 20-flowered terminal, cylindric raceme, the flowers weakly bilaterally symmetric, 10-12 mm wide; flower stalks 3-8 mm long, nearly equaled by the linear-lanceolate bracts; petals white or creamy, rarely pink-tinged, egg-shaped, spreading, 6-8 mm long; sepals longer than wide, triangular to egg-shaped, tips usually sharp-pointed and somewhat bent back; tubes of anthers short, usually somewhat bent back; styles declined, curved, 5-7 mm long, with a distinct collar below the stigma.
Fruits:
Capsules, depressed globe-shaped, 4-5 mm wide.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Pyrola elliptica
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
873 | 385 | 1425 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
12 | 0 | 48 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
38 | 20 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 3 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
22 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(11), ESSF(1), ICH(3), IDF(2), MS(2), SBS(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to moist forests in the montane zone; rare in SW and C BC; E to NF, and S to NM, SD, and PA; Japan.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Pyrola compacta Jennings