Pyrola chlorantha aka Green Flower Wintergreen

Pyrola chlorantha belongs to the heath family, Ericaceae. It is a perennial, so it lives for years. It is evergreen and keeps its leaves all year. Its common name is green-flowered wintergreen. It grows wild in temperate and subarctic parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Its range spans Europe, Asia, and North America. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. It grows in moist woods of conifer trees. Texas records place it at mountain sites above 6,560 feet [2,000 metres].

This small plant grows to about 1 foot [0.3 metres] tall. It spreads to about 1 foot [0.3 metres] wide. It blooms from June to July. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects bring pollen to the flowers. The plant is self-fertile: its own pollen can fertilise its flowers. Its low form and year-round leaves suit a small woodland planting.

Grow it in a cool site with partial shade. Dappled light in woods or a shaded edge meets its stated needs. PFAF lists a broad range of light it can bear. Yet its growing notes favour partial shade. The soil should stay moist through summer. It prefers sandy woodland soil rich in leaf matter or peat. PFAF lists light sandy soil and medium loam as suitable. Its stated pH range covers acid and neutral soils. The growing notes stress acid soil more. PFAF lists USDA hardiness zones 4–8.

This plant is very hard to grow. Its roots need soil fungi in a bond called a mycorrhizal partnership. This need makes it hard for new plants to take hold. PFAF describes starting plants in soil from around one already growing. Few seeds sprout, so growing new plants from seed is hard. The roots do not cope well with disturbance. This makes it hard to split plants, too. These limits matter more than routine care when you choose a garden site. It is a tough plant to grow in a woodland garden.

PFAF gives this species an edibility score of zero. It lists no known food uses or other practical uses. Past uses include use as an astringent. Reports list use for diarrhoea, heavy menstrual bleeding, and other bleeding. These records show past use, not proof of safe treatment. PFAF reports no known hazards, but this does not prove safety. It also calls the plant rare and endangered in the wild. That claim does not set a global IUCN conservation category.