Wintergreen

Wintergreen
	Little Wintergreen ( Pyrola minor )
Systematics
	Nuclear eudicotyledons
	Asterids
Order :	Heather-like (Ericales)
Family :	Heather family (Ericaceae)
Subfamily :	Wintergreen ; and spruce asparagus family ( Monotropoideae )
Genre :	Wintergreen
Scientific name
	Pyrola
	L.

Wintergreen ( Pyrola ) is a genus of plants in the heather family (Ericaceae). In the past they were treated as a separate family of wintergreen plants (Pyrolaceae), at the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group they are included in the subfamily Monotropoideae . The 30 or so species are common in the northern hemisphere .

This genus is called wintergreen because of its ability to keep its leaves in winter . Wintergreen ( Pyrola ), also known as Birnkraut (Latin formerly Pirola ) is not to be confused with the wintergreen shrub ( Gaultheria procumbens ).

description

Illustration of the Little Wintergreen ( Pyrola minor )

Vegetative characteristics

Wintergreens are evergreen , small, perennial herbaceous plants . The leaves are arranged in rosettes . The leaves are firm and evergreen.

Generative characteristics

The hermaphroditic flowers are radially symmetrical or bell-shaped and four or five-fold. They have eight to ten stamens . The ovary is on top. There are fruit capsules formed.

Ecology and phenology

There is vegetative reproduction through runners . Wintergreen species are mixotrophic , i.e. a combination of mykoheterotrophy and photosynthesis . Root fungi ( mycorrhiza ) play a decisive role both in seedling development and in the supply of nutrients .

Like all heather species , the Pyrola species also produce their pollen in anthers that open at apical pores. The pollen itself is formed in tetrads and is sticky because it is supposed to be spread by insects, especially flies . The flowers are formed in summer and the numerous small seeds are released from the inconspicuous capsule fruits in autumn.

Green-flowered wintergreen ( Pyrola chlorantha )

Round-leaved wintergreen ( Pyrola rotundifolia )

Locations

Wintergreen species prefer shady, fresh to moist, nutrient-poor, but rather base-rich, humus-rich locations such as forest soils (in poorer coniferous and mixed forests), birch bogs or dune depressions. Their distribution can be very limited locally. In the occurrences, however, they often grow “socially” because they spread clonally via earth sprouts, especially in the northern areas.

Systematics and distribution

The genus Pyrola was established by Carl von Linné .

The genus Pyrola belongs to the tribe Pyroleae in the subfamily wintergreen and spruce asparagus plants (Monotropoideae) within the family of the heather plants (Ericaceae).

The genus Pyrola is widespread in the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere in Eurasia and North America .

There are about 30 species in the genus Pyrola (selection):

Pyrola americana Sweet : It occurs in North America.
Pyrola angustifolia (Alef.) Hemsl.
Pyrola aphylla Sm.
Pyrola asarifolia Michx. : It occurs in Asia and North America.
Pyrola atropurpurea Franch.
Pyrola calliantha Andres
Green-flowered wintergreen ( Pyrola chlorantha Sw. ): It is widespread in Europe, Asia and North America.
Pyrola dentata Sm.
Pyrola elegantula Andres
Pyrola elliptica Nutt. : It occurs in North America.
Pyrola faurieana Andres
Pyrola forrestiana Andres
Pyrola grandiflora Radius : It comes in Europe ( Iceland , Russia ), Asia, North America and Greenland before.
Pyrola inacarnata (DC.) Fish. ex Kom.
Pyrola japonica Klenze ex Alef.
Medium wintergreen ( Pyrola media Sw. ): It occurs in Europe and Asia.
Small wintergreen ( Pyrola minor L. ): It is widespread in Eurasia and North America.
Pyrola morrisonensis Hayata
Pyrola norvegica boys : It occurs in Norway , Sweden , Finland and Russia.
Pyrola picta Sm . : It occurs in North America.
Pyrola renifolia Maxim.
Round-leaved wintergreen ( Pyrola rotundifolia L. ): It occurs in Europe, Asia and Greenland.
Pyrola rugosa Andres
Pyrola tschanbaischanica Y.L.Chou & YLChang

The following species were assigned to the genus Pyrola , depending on the author :

Pipsissewa ( Chimaphila umbellata (L.) WPCBarton )
Moss eye ( Moneses uniflora (L.) A. Gray )
Pear green ( Orthilia secunda (L.) House )

use

In the herbal medicine of Central Europe, particularly Pyrola rotundifolia and also Pyrola minor, more rarely other species, come into consideration as “wintergreens”.

The Pyrola species and their relatives contain the (poisonous) glycoside arbutin , which is broken down and forms the disinfecting hydroquinone in the urine . It is for this reason that they are used in folk medicine to treat bladder disorders. The flavoring ingredient in American root beer , however, is the winter green shrub ( Gaultheria procumbens ), which should not be confused .

literature

Zhen-Wen Liu, Jing Zhou, En-De Liu, Hua Peng: A molecular phylogeny and a new classification of Pyrola (Pyroleae, Ericaceae). In: Taxon , Volume 59, Issue 6, December 2010, pp. 1690-1700. doi : 10.2307 / 41059866
Ruprecht Düll , H. Kutzelnigg: Botanical-ecological excursion pocket book. 5th about. u. supplementary edition. Quelle & Meyer, Heidelberg / Wiesbaden 1994. ISBN 3-494-01229-6
Otto Schmeil , Jost Fitschen : Flora of Germany and neighboring countries. 89. re-edit u. exp. Edition. Quelle & Meyer, Heidelberg / Wiesbaden 1993, ISBN 3-494-01210-5 .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u Zhen-Wen Liu, Jing Zhou, En-De Liu, Hua Peng: A molecular phylogeny and a new classification of Pyrola (Pyroleae, Ericaceae). In: Taxon , Volume 59, Issue 6, December 2010, pp. 1690-1700. doi : 10.2307 / 41059866
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Pyrola in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
^ B. Křísa: Pyrola L. , pp. 3–4. In: Thomas Gaskell Tutin et al .: Flora Europaea. Volume 3, Cambridge University Press 1972, ISBN 0-521-08489-X .
↑ See for example Jürgen Martin: The 'Ulmer Wundarznei'. Introduction - Text - Glossary on a monument to German specialist prose from the 15th century. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1991 (= Würzburg medical-historical research. Volume 52), ISBN 3-88479-801-4 (also medical dissertation Würzburg 1990), p. 192.

Web links

Commons : Wintergrün ( Pyrola ) - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: Wintergrün - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Detailed drawings of habitus ( Pyrola minor ), inflorescence, flowers and individual flower organs; Floral diagram

[Liu2010-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u Zhen-Wen Liu, Jing Zhou, En-De Liu, Hua Peng: A molecular phylogeny and a new classification of Pyrola (Pyroleae, Ericaceae). In: Taxon , Volume 59, Issue 6, December 2010, pp. 1690-1700. doi : 10.2307 / 41059866

[GRIN-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Pyrola in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved July 22, 2019.

[FloraEuropaea1972-3] B. Křísa: Pyrola L. , pp. 3–4. In: Thomas Gaskell Tutin et al .: Flora Europaea. Volume 3, Cambridge University Press 1972, ISBN 0-521-08489-X .

[4] See for example Jürgen Martin: The 'Ulmer Wundarznei'. Introduction - Text - Glossary on a monument to German specialist prose from the 15th century. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1991 (= Würzburg medical-historical research. Volume 52), ISBN 3-88479-801-4 (also medical dissertation Würzburg 1990), p. 192.