Pyrola

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Pyrola in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Pyrola (a diminutive of Pyrus, the pear tree, from some fancied resemblance in the foliage). Pyrolaceae. Wintergreen. Shin Leaf. Low and smooth perennial herbs with running subterranean shoots; suitable for the native garden though not commonly cultivated. Acaulescent or caulescent, with a cluster of roundish or elliptical evergreen basal lvs. and a simple raceme of nodding white, greenish or purplish fls. on an upright more or less scaly-bracted scape: calyx 5-parted, persistent; petals 5, concave, deciduous; stamens 10: caps. depressed-globose, 5-lobed, 5-valved.—Ten to 15 species, Great Britain to N. Asia and N. Amer. south to Mex. Formerly referred to Ericaceae, but now placed in Pyrolaceae together with Chimaphila and Moneses. The name wintergreen is usually applied to Gaultheria. Pyrolas grow naturally in rather poor sandy uplands and in bogs. Like many members of the heath family, wintergreens are difficult to cultivate and will not succeed in garden soil. In removing them from the woods, care should be taken to secure a large ball of earth. They may then succeed in the shade of evergreens and upon rockeries in peaty soil. The species are scarcely in general cult.; they are offered by dealers in native plants. P. americana is probably more cultivated than the others. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Pyrola. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Pyrola QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)