categoryZEvergreen Evergreen List 

ONE-FLOWERED WINTERGREEN

Moneses uniflora

Heather Family [Ericaceae]

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

category
category8Evergreen
status
statusZnative
flower
flower8white
inner
inner8cream
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round
rarity
rarityZrare

13th June 2012, Bavaria. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
In a separate genus than Round-Leaved Wintergreen and Common Wintergreen. The stem leaves on One-flowered Wintergreen are opposite or in groups of three. Each plant has one stem and but one flower which is 12-20mm across.


13th June 2012, Bavaria. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The flower stalk is bent over 180° at the top to hold the single flower facing downwards like an open umbrella (best seen in the left-most plant).


13th June 2012, Bavaria. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The leaves are all near the base, between 6 and 25mm across and orbicular. They are rounded at the apex with crenate to serrate teeth. The flowers have 5 all-white petals and 5 sturdy filaments with anthers. The filaments look as though they are supporting the petals from beneath; perhaps they are otherwise apt to collapse under heavy rainfall? The ovary is green and round with a substantial green style 5-7mm long emerging from the centre which is straight and not curved. At the end is a substantial green stigma thicker than the style and shaped a bit like a pastry-cutter with 5 cutting-teeth extending from the periphery. It all looks rather sinister.


13th June 2012, Bavaria. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
Young leaves on the left, mature leaves with its plant on the right.


Not directly related to : Round-Leaved Wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia), Common Wintergreen (Pyrola minor), Intermediate Wintergreen (Pyrola media), Serrated Wintergreen (Orthilia secunda) [plants with similar names in differing genera, but all within the same Heather Family (Erica) as One-flowered Wintergreen].

THere is but one flower in the Moneses genus, this one. They are called 'Wintergreens' on account of their leaves, which remain evergreen throughout winter.

Not to be semantically confused with Chickweed Wintergreen (Trientalis europaea) which is neither a Wintergreen (as described here) nor a Chickweed. The three are totally un-related to each other, in differing Families.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

No relation to : Chickweed Wintergreen [a plant with similar name] which belongs in the Primrose Family.

It is native and grows on leaf litter in Pinewoods, but is a rare [RRR], being found locally in Northern Scotland.


  Moneses uniflora  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Ericaceae  

Distribution
 family8Heather family8Ericaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Moneses
Moneses
(One-Flowered Wintergreen)

ONE-FLOWERED WINTERGREEN

Moneses uniflora

Heather Family [Ericaceae]