Minnesota Wildflowers


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Moneses uniflora (One-flowered Pyrola)

Plant Info
Also known as: One-flowered Wintergreen, Single Delight
Genus:Moneses
Family:Pyrolaceae (Wintergreen)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, shade; damp woods, bogs
Bloom season:June - August
Plant height:2 to 6 inches
County distribution (click map to enlarge):Minnesota county distribution map

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Detailed Information

Flower: Flower shape: 5-petals

[photo of flower] Single 5-petaled white flower, ½ to ¾ inch wide, typically nodding face down, on long smooth stalk with a small attending bract where the stalk hooks downward. Petals are egg-shaped with rounded tips and wavy edges; in the flower center is a large round green ovary with a stout style and enlarged 5 lobed stigma. 10 stout, hooked stamens with enlarged tips (anthers) surround the ovary; anthers have small narrowed pollen sacs.

Leaves: Leaf attachment: basal Leaf type: simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are basal, 1 to 3 opposite sets or in groups of 3, oval or nearly round, edges nearly smooth to finely wavy-toothed, 1/3 to ¾ inches long, the blade longer or as long as the leaf stalk. Leaves are dark green, thin with a dull waxy sheen.

Notes:

A commonly encountered favorite in cool damp northern woods and cedar/spruce bogs, One-flowered Pyrola appears in denser clusters but still requires getting down on your hands and knees to appreciate it delicate beauty.

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  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos by K. Chayka taken at Pennington Bog SNA, Beltrami county. Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken in Beltrami, Cass and Aitkin counties.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Julie in Northome, MN
on: 2011-04-27 16:18:17

I found Pyrola on our property just south of Northome, MN, in a balsam bog.

Posted by: Ruth Anne in Cook County
on: 2011-07-25 17:51:20

This is one of the most charming flowers I've ever seen. It grows in damp places (near interrupted ferns and ginger patches) in the forest of Lake Superior near Hovland .... even with my aging knees, it absolutely demands that I get down on my hands and knees to enjoy its shy face.

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