PYROLA FAMILY. Pyrolaceae. 



are slightly fragrant. 4-9 inches high . But 3-9 flowers. 

 Woods, Me., south to Md., west to Minn., and Col. 

 Shinleaf Perhaps the commonest of all the Py- 



Pyrola elliptica rolas, rather taller than P. chlorantha, 

 Greenish white with evergreen, dark olive green, ellipti- 

 June July ca j^ ^} im> an( j obscurely shallow-toothed 



leaves, the stalks somewhat flat or troughed ; they ex- 

 ceed their stalks in length. The greenish white waxy 

 flowers nod ; they are very fragrant ; the five petals are 

 thin and obovate, and form a protective cup about the pale 

 ochre yellow anthers ; the pistil is extremely long, bends 

 downward and then curves upward, exposing the tiny 

 five-lobed stigma to the visiting insect which is most 

 likely to alight upon the invitingly exposed pistil. The 

 flowers form a loose cluster, each on a ruddy pedicel 

 (stemlet), and are borne on an upright stalk generally 

 ruddy at the base, and having a tiny leaflet or bract 

 half-way up. Commonly visited by the beelike flies 

 {SyrphidcE), and the bees of the genera Halietus and 

 Andrena. 5-10 inches high. Rich woods, from Me., 

 south to Md., and west to S. Dak. and 111. The name is 

 from Pyms or Piimm, a pear, in allusion to the shape of 

 the leaf. 



A similar but much taller species, with 

 Round leaved , 



Pyrola nearly round or very broad oval leaves, 



Pyrola thick, very indistinctly toothed or tooth- 



rotundifolia less, and a deep shining green ; the stems 



White usually longer than the leaves, and nar- 



u y r owly margined ; they are evergreen. 



The white waxy flowers are like those described above, 



but the roundish obovate petals spread open much more ; 



they are also very sweet-scented. 8-18 inches high. In 



dry or damp sandy woodlands, from Me., south to Ga., 



and west to Minn., S. Dak., and Ohio. 



This similar species has pale crimson or 



^ ro " . magenta flowers, and very round heart- 



asarifoha ,,, , .,,.. 



shaped leaves, rather wide, shining, and 

 thick. The southern limit, northern N. Y. and New 

 Eng. But both species are more frequently found 

 northward. 



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