Pyrolaceae

Plants of the Pyrola Family

The Pyrolas are forest dwellers. They thrive in the shade of others. These plants have evergreen leaves and slightly woody stems. The waxy-looking flowers are bisexual with 4 or 5 separate sepals (sometimes united at the base) and 4 or 5 separate petals. There are twice as many stamens as petals. The ovary is positioned superior and consists of 4 or 5 carpels with the partition walls present, forming an equal number of chambers. It matures as a round capsule with numerous seeds.

Worldwide, there are 3 genera and 46 species. The Pyrola family is now considered a subfamily of the Heath Family. Be sure to read about other evergreen plants of the forest in the Barberry Family.

Key Words: Evergreen forest plants with waxy-looking flowers and parts in fours and fives.

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Chimaphila umbellata. Pipsissewa.	Chimaphila umbellata. Pipsissewa.
Orthilia secunda (a.k.a. Pyrola secunda). One-Sided Wintergreen.	Orthilia secunda (a.k.a. Pyrola secunda). One-Sided Wintergreen. Tobacco Root Mountains, near Pony, Montana.
Foraging the Mountain West	Moneses uniflora. One-Flowered Wintergreen. (The apparent leaves in this photo belong to a different plant. Look on the ground for the real leaves.)