# Pyrola crypta

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pyrola_crypta
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pyrola_crypta.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrola_crypta
> Source revision: 1213455787
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

***Pyrola crypta***, commonly known as **cryptic wintergreen**, is a [perennial](/source/Perennial_plant) herb in the [heath family](/source/Ericaceae).[1]

## Description

*Pyrola crypta* resembles other members of the genus *[Pyrola](/source/Pyrola)*, particularly *[Pyrola picta](/source/Pyrola_picta)*. It can be distinguished from the later by its relatively long [sepals](/source/Sepal) (>2 mm (0.079 in)), longer floral [bracts](/source/Bract) (>4 mm (0.16 in)), and longer leaf [petioles](/source/Petiole_(botany)) (1.7-3.9 cm 0, vs. 1.5-2 cm 0 in *P. picta*).[1][2]

## Range

*Pyrola crypta* is endemic to western North America. It is found in [Washington](/source/Washington_(state)), [Oregon](/source/Oregon), and [northern California](/source/Northern_California), in the [Olympic Peninsula](/source/Olympic_Peninsula), the [Cascade Range](/source/Cascade_Range), the [Klamath region](/source/Klamath_Mountains), and the [northern coast](/source/North_Coast_(California)) of [California](/source/California).[1]

## Habitat

*Pyrola crypta* grows between 700 m (2,300 ft) and 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in elevation, in coniferous forests composed of [Pinus](/source/Pinus), [Picea](/source/Picea), [Abies](/source/Abies), [Tsuga](/source/Tsuga), or [Thuja](/source/Thuja).[1]

## Ecology

Like other members of *Pyrola*, *P. crypta* has flowers adapted to [buzz pollination](/source/Buzz_pollination), and there is some indication that *P. crypta* reaches [anthesis](/source/Anthesis) later in the season than other *Pyrola* species from the same area.[1]

## Etymology

The specific epithet, *crypta*, means "cryptic", referring to the fact that the species is difficult to distinguish morphologically from other members of *Pyrola*, particularly *P. picta*.

## Taxonomy

*Pyrola crypta* is a member *Pyrola* sect. *Scotophylla* Křísa, which also contains [*P. picta*](/source/Pyrola_picta), [*P. dentata*](/source/Pyrola_dentata), and [*P. aphylla*](/source/Pyrola_aphylla). These taxa together are generally recognized as forming a [species complex](/source/Species_complex).[1] Relationships among these taxa are difficult to disentangle, but evidence from [chloroplast](/source/Chloroplast) [genetic loci](/source/Genetic_loci) suggest *P. crypta* is [sister](/source/Sister_group) to *P. dentata*, despite its closer morphological similarity to *P. picta*.[1]

## References

1. Jolles, Diana D. & Wilson, Carol A. (2014). "*Pyrola crypta*: A Pacific Northwest species belonging to the *Pyrola picta* species complex". *Taxon*. **63** (4): 789–800. [doi:10.12705/634.15](https://doi.org/10.12705/634.15)

1. Hitchcock, C. Leo & Cronquist, Hitchcock, Arthur (2018). *Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual*. [University of Washington Press](/source/University_of_Washington_Press). p. 407. ISBN 9780295742892.

## External links

- [Calflora: *Pyrola crypta* (Cryptic wintergreen)](https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=13182)
- [Jepson Manual (TJM2) treatment of *Pyrola crypta*](https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=99776)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pyrola crypta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrola_crypta) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrola_crypta?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.