''Pyrola dentata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of flowering plant in the

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

family, with the common name toothed wintergreen. Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 408. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Description

The glaucous leaf blade is 2-9 cm long, round to ovate, elliptic, or oblanceolate in shape, often with a bluish tint and prominent pale veins. The leaf is usually serrate but sometimes entire, and the base generally tapers to the petiole. The leaves form a compact rosette close to the ground. The unbranched flower stalk ( scape) arises from the base of the plant and is 8-27 cm tall. There may be a few to many cream colored flowers on each stalk. The stalk is usually brownish red to pink in color and the petals may have a red tinge especially on the underside.

Range

''Pyrola dentata'' ranges from British Columbia to northern Baja California, mostly in coastal ranges, the Cascade Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada, but extending eastward into the northern Rocky Mountains in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. It grows from near sea level to sub-alpine elevations (50 to 2900 meters).

Habitat

''Pyrola dentata'' grows in varied habitats, including mixed conifer and

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

woodland,

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

woodland, forested serpentine and volcanic areas, and open hillsides of decomposed granite or loose, coarse sand or gravel near rocky outcrops.

References

dentata {{Ericaceae-stub