I've been watching this plant for a while, it finally started flowering today. It is not in 'Wildflowers of the pacific northwest'. Can anyone tell me what it is?
Likely a Pyrola. Photo of the whole plant (including leaves, if any, at base) / indication of height?
Hi Daniel, there are no leaves visible at all, the plants are growing out of rock/scree on Gabriola Island. I'm not very good at estimating height - 6 to 8 inches? The aphids love them and I have to keep squishing them every time I go past.
Hi Daniel and Ron I have looked at some photos of pyrola on the internet and they certainly look very like the plant I am interested in. It was in the 'Wildflowers of the pacific northwest' book but I discounted it because it had leaves and is said to grow in bog/fen/wetland and the one I found is growing in a very hot dry location. Also, in my defense, the photo is not that great! I am a bit disappointed that the plant turned out to be wintergreen, I really dislike that smell!
Wintergreen is the standard English name for Pyrola spp.; e.g.: Intermediate Wintergreen Pyrola media Common Wintergreen Pyrola minor Round-leaved Wintergreen Pyrola rotundifolia They're also the original source for oil of wintergreen.
Highly artificial "standard English names" situation you keep dragging up aside, Pyrola will still not be the plant providing the aromatic wintergreen berries likely to be the source of the displeasure indicated.
