Single delight, Mossberry, One-flowered pyrola, One-flowered wintergreen
Moneses uniflora

Family: Ericaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year and is evergreen. It has slender rhizomes or underground stems. The are 0.2-0.8 mm thick. The above ground stems are erect or curve upwards. They are 1-5 cm high. The leaves are in 3-4 groups of 2-3 each. The leaf stalks are 1-1.5 cm long. The leaves are dark green on top and pale green underneath. The flowers are white and nodding. The fruit are capsules which are erect and 5-6 mm across. They open by 5 valves. There are many small seeds.

There is one Moneses species. It is also put in the family Pyrolaceae.

Where it is found

It is temperate to subarctic. It grows in moist mossy pine and conifer forests at middle altitudes in N China. In Pakistan it grows near streams in the shade of pine forests between 2,600-3,500 m altitude. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Alaska, Arctic, Britain, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Manchuria, Mongolia, North America, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, Sweden, Taiwan, USA

How it is used for food

The leaves can be used for tea. The seeds can be eaten raw or roasted. They can be parched and ground into flour.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Indian pipe

Synonyms

Pyrola uniflora Linnaeus; Chimaphila rhombifolia Hayata; Bryophthalmum uniflorum (Linnaeus) E. Mey.; Moneses grandiflora Salisb.; Moneses rhombifolia (Hayata) H. Andres;