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Orthilia secunda.
Synonyms: Orthilia obtustata, Pyrola secunda. (One-sided Wintergreen, Sidebells) Ericaceae (Heath Family) Montane, subalpine. Woodlands. Summer. Orthilia secunda very often occurs in large colonies (see the above photograph) and this growth habit plus the plants' vibrant green leaves do a fine job of catching our eye as we walk through Engelmann Spruce forests. From the center of the leaves, one flower stem arises vertically and then arches over horizontally to support 4-8 secund flowers, i.e., the flowers all twist to one side of the stem. The flowers are quite small and from the height of a human (and even when you are down on your human belly) it is hard to tell if the flowers are open. Orthilia secunda will frequently be found at the shady base of Engelmann Spruce in the company of tiny Moneses uniflora, other Pyrolas, and the Orchidaceae, Goodyera oblongifolia. In the southwestern San Juans, Orthilia secunda is by far the most common of these dainty plants, all of which often escape our attention because of their diminutive size. All possess delicate, intricate beauty observable when one gets down to their level. |
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Orthilia secunda. Synonyms: Orthilia obtustata, Pyrola secunda. (One-sided Wintergreen, Sidebells) Ericaceae (Heath Family) Montane, subalpine. Woodlands. Summer. Linnaeus named the genus Pyrola in 1753 and he named this species Pyrola secunda. Constantine Rafinesque created the genus Orthilia in 1840, and Homer House renamed this species Orthilia secunda. William Weber maintains that there are two similar species, O. secunda and O. obtustata, primarily distinguished by the shape of their leaves. John Kartesz, the ultimate authority for names on this web site, indicates that there is just one species, and the Flora of North America, Intermountain Flora, and A Utah Flora agree. FNA indicates, "the... characters [used to separate the supposed two species] vary too freely among populations to warrant distinction". The Greek "ortho" ("straight") refers to the style and, as indicated above, "secunda" means "side-flowering", i.e., flowers are on one side of the flowering stem. See also Pyrola asarifolia. |
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Orthilia secunda. Synonyms: Orthilia obtustata, Pyrola secunda. (One-sided Wintergreen, Sidebells) Ericaceae (Heath Family) Montane, subalpine. Woodlands. Summer. |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Orthilia secunda |