Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Orthilia secunda
one-sided pyrola, sidebells
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across Canada and the northern half of the United States to the Atlantic Coast.

Habitat: Common in coniferous woods at moderate to mid-elevationn in the mountains

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Description:
General:

Perennial, glabrous herbs, spreading from slender rhizomes, the flowering stems single, 5-15 cm. tall.

Leaves:

Leaves numerous on the lower of the stem, the blades petiolate, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 1.5-6 cm. long, with small, rounded teeth on the margins, rounded at the base, rather thin, clear green.

Flowers:

Flowers 6-20 in one-sided racemes, 5-6 mm. broad; pedicels 3-8 mm. long from linear-lanceolate bracts of equal length; calyx 5-lobed; petals 5, distinct, white, 4-5 mm. long, each with 2 small projections on the base of the inner surface; stamens 10, bent inward, the anthers without awns, inverted, opening by terminal pores without tubes; style 3-4 mm. long, straight, without a collar, stigma 5-lobed; ovary superior.

Fruits:

Capsule 5-celled.

Accepted Name:
Orthilia secunda (L.) House
Publication: Amer. Midl. Naturalist. 7: 134. 1921.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Orthilia secunda (L.) House ssp. obtusata (Turcz.) Böcher
Pyrola secunda L. [HC]
Pyrola secunda L. ssp. obtusata (Turcz.) Hultén
Pyrola secunda L. var. obtusata Turcz. [HC]
Pyrola secunda L. var. secunda [HC]
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Orthilia secunda in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Orthilia secunda checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Orthilia secunda information.

E-Flora BC: Orthilia secunda atlas page.

CalPhotos: Orthilia secunda photos.

USDA Plants: Orthilia secunda information.

58 photographs:
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