PYROLA MINOR. LESSER WINTERGREEN.
PYROLA minor ; foliis ovato-rotundatiscrenatis, staminibus erectis stylo perbrevi recto subasquelongis,
stigmate quinquelobo lobis patentibus.
PYROLA minor. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 567■ Huds. Angl. p. 176. Lightfi. Scot. p. 319. With. Bot.
A rr. ed. 4. vol. 3. p. 391. (Ed. FI. Dan. t. 55. Hoffm. Germ.ed. 3. vol. 1. P . I .p . 190.
Willd.Sp. PI. vol. 3. p. 631. Smith FI. Brit. p. 444. Engl. Bot. t. 158. (ic. mal.) Decand.
FI. Fr. ed. 3. vol. 3,p. 684. FI. Gall. Syn. p. 350. Pers. Syn. PI. vol. 1. p. 483. Wahl.
FI. Lapp. p. 110. Pursh FI. Amer. Sept. vol. 1. p. 399. Ait. Hort. Kezv. ed. 3. vol. 3.
p. 58. Hook. FI. Scot. P . I. p. 138. Tour in Iceland, vol. 1. p. 123.
PYROLA rosea. Smith Engl. Bot.t. 3543. (ic. bon. )
PYROLA foliis subrotundis racemosis, tubis rectis. Hall. Helv. n. 1009.
TY R O LA minor. Raii Syn. p. 363?
Welsh. Coedxoyrdd bychan.
Class a n d Or d e r . DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[N a tu r a l O r d e r . MONOTROPEÆ. Nuttall, Hook. (FI. Scot.) Lindl. (in Coll. Bot.) ERICACEÆ,
Decand. ERICÆ, Jussi]
Ch a r . O r d in is . Calyx inferus, quinquepartitus, vel nullus. Corolla mono- vel polypetala.* Stamina segmentorum
corollae duplice numero, hypogyna. Ovarium quandri-vel quinqueloculare, polyspermum. Stylus unus. Stigma
obscure quadri- vel quinquelobum. Capsula quadri- vel quinquelocularis, quadri- vel quinquevalvis, valvis medio
septiferis. Semina minuta, numerosa, arillata. Embryo minutissimus, ad extremitatem albuminis carnosi.—
Herbce non raro aphyllas. Flores raccmosi, cernui.
G e n . Ch a r . Calyx quinquefidus. Petala quinque. Antherce poris duobus dehiscentes. Capsula supera, quinquelocularis.
Semina numerosa, arillo longo tecta.
G e n . Ci ia r . Calyx o f five divisions. Petals five. Anthers opening by two pores. Capsule superior, o f five
cells. Seeds long, numerous, covered with a long ariilus.
R a d ix perennis, filiformis, repens, hie illic fibrosa, su-
perne subsquamosa.
Ca u l is brevis, subsimplex, squamosus, squamis ob-
longo-ovatis, viridibus.
Folia subrotunda, obtusa, pallide viridia, nitida, rigi-
diuscula, reticulatim venosa, crenata, petiolata;
petiolis foliis longioribus, supra canaliculatis.
Scapus solitarius, spithamreus, erectus, angulatus, spira-
liter tortus, basi squama, vel bractea, solitaria
instructus.
F lores terminales, in racemum laxum congesti, undi-
que spectantes, cernui.
P e d u n c u l i flore subseque longi, curvati, unibracteati,
bractea parva viridi.
Caly x quinquefidus, persistens, segmentis patentibus
acutis.
Corolla pentapetala, petalis in globum subconniven-
tibus, rotundatis, albis, roseo tinctis.
St am in a decern, corolla breviora: Filamenta alba,
erecta, pistillo breviora: Anther® flavfe, bilocu-
lares, loculis apice poro dilatato dehiscentibus.
Pistil lum corolla brevius: Germen rotundatum, de-
pressum, quinquelobum : Stylus perbrevis, ger-
mine multo brevior: Stigma dilatatum, quinquelobum,
lobis expansis, centro depressum.
P e r ic a r p iu m : Capsula rotundata, depressa, stylo
brevissimo persistente coronata, profunde quin-
queloba, quinquelocularis, quinquevalvis, loculis
polyspermis: Dissepimenta valvis alternantia.
R eceptacula centralia, spongiosa.
S em in a numerosa, arillata, omnino ut in P. rotundi-
folia.
Root perennial, filiform, creeping, throwing out fibres at
intervals, slightly squamose in the upper part.
St em short, almost simple, scaly: the scales oblongo-
ovate, green.
L eaves almost round, blunt, o f a pale green colour,
shining, rather rigid, reticulated with veins, cre-
nate, petiolated ; the foot-stalks longer than the
leaves, channelled above.
Sc a p e solitary, a span high, erect, angled, spirally
twisted, furnished at the base with a solitary scale
or bractea.
Flowers terminal, arranged in a lax raceme, looking in
various directions, nodding.
P e d u n c l e s about as long as the flowers, curved, having
one small green bractea at their base.
Ca l y x quinquefid, persistent; the segments spreading,
acute.
, Corolla of five petals ; the petals nearly connivent in
a globular form, rounded, white, tinged with rose
colour.
Stam en s ten, shorter than the corolla: Filaments
white, erect, shorter than the pistil: Anthers
yellow, two-celled; the cells opening by a dilated
pore a t their points.
P is t il shorter than the petals: Germen rounded, depressed,
five-lobed: Style very short, much
shorter than the germen: Stigma dilated, five-
lobed; the lobes spreading, depressed in the
centre.
P e r ic a r p : Capsule rounded, depressed, crowned with
the very short persistent style, deeply divided
into five lobes, five-celled, five-valved; the cells
many-seeded: Dissepiments alternating with the
valves.
Recepta cles central, spongy.
S e ed s numerous, arillate, precisely similar to those o f
P. rotundij'olia.
Fi<r. l. Flower deprived of its petals. Fig. 3. Single petal. Fig. 3. Stamen. Fig. 4. Advanced pistil. Fig. 5. Section
of the same. Fig. 6. Ripe capsule. Fig. 7. Seeds :—all more or less magnified.
Not rare in woods in the North of England, and of particularly common occurrence in Scotland, where it is met
with in greater plenty than any other species of this interesting genus. The present drawing was made under the
hospitable roof of my valued friend the venerable James Brodie, of Brodie, Esq., from specimens which I had
gathered in the neighbouring forests of Darn way, the property of Lord Murray.
No one who has compared the flowers of the two Pyrolee, viz. minor and media, (which latter is already figured
in this work,) can ever doubt the propriety with which they are distinguished into two species. Here the style is so
short as to be wholly included- within the corolla, having a five-rayed stigma with the lobes patent; whilst P . media
has a long style, slightly deflected (but not curved as in P . I'otundifolia), projecting beyond the corolla, and having
five erect points at its extremity.
The difficulty of rightly distinguishing the Pyrola minor has, it must be confessed, been somewhat increased by
the imperfect representation of the plant which bears that name in English Botany ; and the subsequent appearance
of an excellent delineation of it, in the same work, under the appellation of P . rosea. The learned author has in
Rees's Cyclopedia, properly reduced them both to P . minor; and there is not, to all appearance, a more decidedly
marked species than this in the whole genus.
The Lesser Winter-green is common on the continent of Europe; and I have even found it so far north as in
Iceland. Pursh states it to be a native of Canada and Labrador; and to be met with, though sparingly, in the
west parts of New York. I t flowers in June and July, and ripens its seeds freely.