Pyrola dentata
Toothed wintergreen, Toothed Wintergreen
(c) Gabbie Byers, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Ericaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Pyrola dentata (Toothed wintergreen) is a native California perennial in the Ericaceae family, recognized by glaucous bluish leaves and small sepals diagnostic.
Toothed wintergreen is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Modoc Plateau in mixed conifer forests at elevations of 55 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white flowers arranged in clusters along an elongated scape 8 to 27 centimeters tall. Growing with delicate stems and a distinctive rosette of leaves, it forms low-growing clusters in forest understories. Its leaves are bluish-green, broadly round to elliptical, 3 to 13 centimeters long with gently toothed edges and tapered bases that attach to slender petioles. The small white flowers display bilateral symmetry, with delicate petals 4 to 8 millimeters long, creating a graceful appearance among forest floor vegetation.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; glaucous bluish leaves and small sepals diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Mixed conifer forest, mixed conifer and
Elevation: 55-2900 m
California counties: Mono, Colusa, Plumas, Tuolumne, San Bernardino, Fresno, Los Angeles, Shasta, Siskiyou, Kern, Tulare, Sierra, Inyo, Riverside, Humboldt, Del Norte, El Dorado, Mendocino, Butte, Madera, Trinity, Lassen, Alpine, Amador, Glenn, Lake, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Tehama, Modoc
Outside California: to southwest British Columbia, Baja California
Bloom period
Pyrola dentata blooms Jun-Aug.
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 dentata native to California?
Yes. Pyrola dentata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Pyrola dentata bloom?
Pyrola dentata blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Pyrola dentata grow?
Pyrola dentata occurs in Mono, Colusa, Plumas, Tuolumne, San Bernardino, Fresno, Los Angeles, Shasta and other counties, at elevations of 55-2900 m.
What plant family does Pyrola dentata belong to?
Pyrola dentata is in the Ericaceae family, genus Pyrola.
What habitat does Pyrola dentata grow in?
Pyrola dentata grows in Mixed conifer forest, mixed conifer and.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.