Pyrola minor aka Common Wintergreen

Pyrola minor is a small plant in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is an evergreen perennial: it lives for years and keeps its leaves year-round. This gives it a lasting place in woodland gardens. Its names include lesser wintergreen, small wintergreen, and English wintergreen. It grows in temperate and subarctic parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Its range spans parts of Asia and North America. It is native to Britain and Ireland too.

The plant grows about 0.3 feet [0.1 metres] tall. It spreads about 1 foot [0.3 metres] wide. Its low form suits the front of a shaded planting. Flowers bloom from June to August, with a mild almond scent. Each flower has both male and female organs. Bees and flies bring pollen to the flowers. The plant is also self-fertile, so it can use its own pollen. These traits let it set seed without a separate male or female plant.

In the wild, it grows in conifer woods and on moors. It also grows on damp rock ledges and dunes. It lives on both acid and lime-rich ground. Wild plants grow in sun and in deep shade. In gardens, it prefers a cool spot with part shade. Moist, sandy woodland soil suits it best, but loam suits it too. It copes with soil from very acid to slightly alkaline. Plants For A Future lists USDA hardiness zones 4–8.

Despite this wide habitat range, it is hard to establish. Its roots need a partnership with fungi in the soil. Plants For A Future suggests using soil from beside an established plant to start growth. Few seeds sprout, and growing plants from seed is hard. The roots dislike disturbance, so dividing plants is hard too. These needs limit its garden use despite its value for looks. A woodland bed or shaded edge gives it a fitting home.

Plants For A Future lists fruit and raw leaves as edible. It gives the plant a low food-use rating. It says little about the fruit. The source records past use as medicine for cramps and fluid loss. It also lists astringent and tonic uses, but gives a low medicinal rating. Such records do not prove that these uses help health. The source reports no known hazards, but this does not prove safety. It lists no other uses and does not flag the plant as weedy.