Pyrola grandiflora Radius
Large flowered wintergreen.
Pyrolaceae, wintergreen family.
Diss. 27. 1821.
Pyrola rotundifolia L. var. grandiflora (Radius) Fernald ex A.P.Khokhr., Sosud. Rast. Sovet. Dal'nego Vostoka 5: 162. 1991
Pyrola borealis Rydb.
Pyrola canadensis Andres
Pyrola
gormanii Rydb.
Pyrola grandiflora var. canadensis (Andres)
Porsild
Pyrola occidentalis R. Br. ex D. Don
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs; (3–)5–20(–25) cm high; with basal,long-petioled, simple leaves that have circular blades. Taproot present. Caudex present. Ground-level or under-ground stems vertical and often branched. Vegetative, aerial, stem a small transition zone between roots and basal leaves; aerial stems erect (strictly these are flowering stems). Leaves in a basal tuft; alternate; simple; evergreen. Stipules absent (bud scales, 5–9(-15) mm long and 2–5 mm wide at the base of the leaves and may look rather-like stipules). Petioles present (basal leaves), or absent (bract leaves on the flowering stems); 5–25(–65) mm long; unwinged; flat; glabrous. Leaf blade bases obtuse, or rounded. Blades 10–30 mm long; 8–30 mm wide. Blades spreading; leathery; flat; veins pinnate. Blades adaxial surface shiny; glabrous. Blades abaxial surface dull; glabrous. Blade margins entire; glabrous (narrowly rolled). Leaf apices rounded.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems with leaves (bract leaves without petioles); glabrous. Inflorescence racemose; diffuse; oblong (when mature); 1.5–7.5 cm long; 10–30 mm wide. Pedicels present (short); glabrous. Pedicels bract leaves 4–8 mm long; 1.5–3 mm wide. Calyx sepals free; 2–3 mm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Calyx pink; glabrous. Petals free; 5; white (creamy), or pink (and perfumed); oblanceolate; unlobed; 4–6.5 mm long; 3.5–5(–5.5) mm wide. Stamens 10; free of the corolla; filaments glabrous. Anthers yellow; 1.5–2.2 mm long. Nectaries present. Gynoecia superior. Carpels syncarpous; 5. Ovaries subglobose; glabrous. Styles 1; 3–7 mm long (deflexed and protruding from flowers and conspicuous in fruits). Stigmas per style 1. Placentation parietal (the intruded parietal placentas not joined at the centre). Ovules numerous and tiny. Fruit stalked. Fruit with calyx persisting; dry; a capsule; spherical; not distinctly flattened; dehiscent; splitting to the base into separate segments. Fruit 3–6 mm long; 3–6 mm wide; red (when young), or black, or brown (when mature); glabrous; surface appearing veinless (but with a ridge down the centre of each carpel). Seeds 0.5–0.7 mm long (testa only one cell thick; embryo tiny, undifferentiated, embedded in the endosperm); yellowish; with surfaces smooth.
Chromosome information. 2n = 46. 46 (2x). - Hagerup (1928, 1941a); Knaben (1950); Löve (1954b Iceland?); Löve and Löve (1956b Iceland, 1982a C Canada); Harmsen in Jørgensen et al. (1958 Greenland); Böcher (1961bGreenland); Löve and Ritchie (1966 central Canada); Hedberg (1967 northern Canada); Johnson and Packer (1968 northwestern Alaska ); Knaben and Engelskjøn (1968); Zhukova and Petrovsky (1971 Wrangel Island, 1976 western Chukotka); Packer and McPherson (1974 northern Alaska); Zhukova et al. (1977a northe eastern Asia); Zhukova (1980 southern Chukota, 1982 north eastern Asia); Dalgaard (1989 western Greenland). Supposed basic chromosome number of family 2x.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: circumpolar; Greenland, Canada, United States. Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories Islands, Continental Northwest Territories, Nunavut Islands, Continental Nunavut, and Northern Québec. Arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Uncommon. Arctic Islands: Baffin (common on sheltered and sunny slopes).
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: slopes, ridges, dry meadows; imperfectly drained moist areas, or dry; calcareous; rocks, sand, clay; with high organic content. Habitats: common in crevices in bedrock outcrop through tundra heath (CAN 549899); Growing in moist deep heath on the crest of a washed moraine (CAN 517708); heaths and stony places, abundant to 600 feet, at Clyde Inlet, Baffin Island (CAN 204936); growing on a hummock in a wet meadow (CAN 517956); flat, poorly drained, hummocky tundra; calcareous, CAN 368161); beneath snow bank (CAN 312088); on gravelly talus at base of Southfacing exposure (CAN 556128); (this is possibly the northernmost record at 80.47'N; depauperate specimen from the base of a seepage slope in a moss mat (CAN 484957); growing with Vaccinium uliginosum, Betula glandulosa, Salix alaxensis on humus in shrubby tundra.
Notes. E. Haber considered this taxon to be P. rotundifolia subsp. grandiflora.
Illustrations. • Plant habitat. Plants growing on dry grassy slope, with sedges, reticulate willow, bistort, and some heather. Nunavut, Rankin Inlet Aiken and Brysting, 2001. CAN. • Habitat. Plants growing under willows, N.W.T. Tuktoyaktuk. 20 July 1981, J.M.Gillett 18690. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plant growing among heather. N.W.T. Tuktoyaktuk. 20 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18690. CAN. • Close-up of inflorescence. Inflorescence of almost sessile flowers, with pinkish sepals (top bud), large white petals, twice as many anthers as petals, and extended pink styles. N.W.T. Tuktoyaktuk. 20 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18690. CAN. • Developing fruit.. Inflorescence with developing fruit. Pale pink calyx of free sepal, swollen reddish fruit capsule. N.W.T. Tuktoyuktuk. Aiken and Brysting. 10–117. CAN.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).
