Pyrola minor

Lesser wintergreen, Lesser Wintergreen

Family: Ericaceae · Type: perennial · Native

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.

Habitat: Uncommon. Moist, mossy or boggy areas, high montane conifer forest

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2400-3000 m

Bioregions: KR, c&amps SN, SnBr, SnJt, Wrn

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

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.