About Pyrola dentata Sm.
Pyrola dentata Sm. has glaucous leaf blades that measure 2 to 9 cm long. Leaves can be round, ovate, elliptic, or oblanceolate in shape, often carry a bluish tint, and have prominent pale veins. Leaf margins are usually serrate, but sometimes entire, and the leaf base generally tapers toward the petiole. Leaves grow in a compact rosette that sits close to the ground. An unbranched flower stalk called a scape grows from the base of the plant, reaching 8 to 27 cm tall. Each stalk can hold a few to many cream-colored flowers. The stalk is usually brownish red to pink, and petals may have a red tinge, particularly on their underside. This species ranges from British Columbia south to northern Baja California, found mostly in coastal ranges, the Cascade Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada. It also extends eastward into the northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. It grows at elevations from near sea level up to subalpine, between 50 and 2900 meters. Pyrola dentata occupies a variety of habitats, including mixed conifer and oak woodland, pine woodland, forested serpentine and volcanic areas, and open hillsides composed of decomposed granite, loose coarse sand, or gravel near rocky outcrops.
