General: Perennial herb from a very slender rhizome; stems spreading to erect, 5-15 (20) cm tall, unbranched, not conspicuously bent or zigzag, fringed with coarse hairs at the nodes.
Leaves: Stem leaves several (3 to 8), broadly lanceolate, 2-5 cm long, 0.5-2 cm wide, unstalked, tapering to a rounded, slightly clasping base, the margins with tiny, closely crowded teeth; basal leaves lacking.
Flowers: Inflorescence of single, stalked flowers nodding or drooping from the axils of the upper 1-5 leaves, the stalks 0.3-1 cm long, curved but not kinked, smooth; flowers greenish-purple to rose-coloured with greenish tips, saucer-shaped, of 6 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals 2-4 mm long, narrowly egg-shaped, spreading, somewhat curved back at the tip; stamens 6; pistil 1, 3-chambered.
Fruits: Berries, globe-shaped, red, 4-6 mm wide; seeds few.
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)
Moist forests in the montane and subalpine zones; common on coastal mainland, infrequent elsewhere in BC south of 56degreeN; amphiberingian, N to AK, E to AB and S to ID and WA; E Asia.
