Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia
Bog wintergreen, Bog Wintergreen
Photo: parent species Pyrola asarifolia · no rights reserved · CC0
Family: Ericaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia (Bog wintergreen) is a native California subshrub in the Ericaceae family, recognized by leaf shape and bract length key features.
Bog wintergreen is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in moist forest, swamps, and bogs at elevations of 30 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces white to pink flowers with distinctive drooping bell-shaped blossoms. Growing with erect scapes 10 to 35 centimeters tall, it emerges from a low-growing rosette of leaves. Its round to kidney-shaped leaves are 3 to 13 centimeters wide, with slightly scalloped edges and a rich green color. The delicate flowers have petals 4.8 to 8.6 millimeters long, creating a graceful woodland understory presence.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; leaf shape and bract length key features
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Moist forest, swamps, bogs, streambanks
Elevation: 30-2800 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Tulare, Mono, Inyo, Fresno, Siskiyou, Trinity, Plumas, Sierra, Butte, Nevada, El Dorado, Tehama, Placer, Humboldt, Ventura, Mariposa, Tuolumne
Outside California: to southern Alaska, Montana, eastern North America, eastern Asia
Bloom period
Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia blooms Jun-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Pterospora: Pyrola has green basal leaves; Pterospora is completely leafless and brownish-pink without chlorophyll.; vs Corallorhiza: Pyrola has basal leaves and radially symmetrical flowers; Corallorhiza is leafless with bilateral orchid flowers.; vs Chimaphila: Pyrola leaves are all basal in a rosette; Chimaphila has thick leaves scattered up the stem.; vs Goodyera: Pyrola flowers are radially symmetrical and arranged all around stem; Goodyera has spiral orchid flowers.; vs Orthilia: Pyrola flowers arranged evenly around stem; Orthilia flowers distinctly one-sided along the stalk.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia native to California?
Yes. Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia bloom?
Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia blooms Jun-Jul.
Where in California does Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia grow?
Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia occurs in San Bernardino, Tulare, Mono, Inyo, Fresno, Siskiyou, Trinity, Plumas and other counties, at elevations of 30-2800 m.
What plant family does Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia belong to?
Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia is in the Ericaceae family, genus Pyrola.
What habitat does Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia grow in?
Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia grows in Common. Moist forest, swamps, bogs, streambanks.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.