Pyrola minor
Lesser wintergreen, Lesser Wintergreen
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Family: Ericaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Pyrola minor (Lesser wintergreen) is a native California subshrub in the Ericaceae family, recognized by small size, high elevation, and closed flowers diagnostic.
Lesser wintergreen is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, central and southern Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, and Warner Mountains in moist, mossy or boggy areas within high montane conifer forest at elevations of 2,400 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white to pale pink flowers in delicate clusters with 3 to 10 blooms. Growing with low, compact stems less than 20 centimeters tall, it forms small, understated patches in mountain forest environments. Its rounded to obovate leaves are dull green, approximately 1.5 to 4 centimeters long, with subtle entire or slightly crenate edges. The flower bracts are notably larger than the pedicels, giving the plant a distinctive and delicate appearance in its high-elevation forest habitats.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; small size, high elevation, and closed flowers diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Uncommon. Moist, mossy or boggy areas, high montane conifer forest
Elevation: 2400-3000 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Modoc, Fresno, Tuolumne, Tulare, Mono, Riverside, Madera, Kings, Mariposa, Siskiyou, Del Norte, Humboldt, Alpine, El Dorado, Plumas, Placer, Nevada, Los Angeles
Outside California: circumboreal, to Alaska, eastern North America, Eurasia
Bloom period
Pyrola minor blooms Jul-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 minor native to California?
Yes. Pyrola minor is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Pyrola minor bloom?
Pyrola minor blooms Jul-Aug.
Where in California does Pyrola minor grow?
Pyrola minor occurs in San Bernardino, Inyo, Modoc, Fresno, Tuolumne, Tulare, Mono, Riverside and other counties, at elevations of 2400-3000 m.
What plant family does Pyrola minor belong to?
Pyrola minor is in the Ericaceae family, genus Pyrola.
What habitat does Pyrola minor grow in?
Pyrola minor grows in Uncommon. Moist, mossy or boggy areas, high montane conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Pyrola picta — White-veined wintergreen
- Pyrola sp. — Wintergreen
- Pyrola aphylla — Leafless wintergreen
- Pyrola asarifolia — Bog wintergreen
- Pyrola asarifolia subsp. asarifolia — Bog wintergreen
- Pyrola asarifolia subsp. bracteata — Long-bracted wintergreen
- Rhododendron columbianum — Western labrador tea
- Rhododendron macrophyllum — California rhododendron
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.