Snowline Wintergreen
Pyrola minor
Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrola_minor
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Ericales
Family
Ericaceae
Genus
Pyrola
Snowline Wintergreen belongs to the family Ericaceae, order Ericales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Species profile data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Snowline Wintergreen faces severe threats from climate change as warming temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. Habitat fragmentation and degradation from human activities, combined with the species' specialized ecological requirements and slow reproductive rate, have contributed to dramatic population declines across its range.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Coniferous and mixed forests, particularly in cool, moist understory conditions in mountainous regions and northern latitudes. The species typically occurs in acidic soils with rich organic matter, often in association with specific mycorrhizal fungi essential for its survival.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Snowline Wintergreen faces severe threats from climate change as warming temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. Habitat fragmentation and degradation from human activities, combined with the species' specialized ecological requirements and slow reproductive rate, have contributed to dramatic population declines across its range.
Climate change and warming temperatures
Habitat fragmentation and loss
Limited dispersal ability and small population sizes
Changes in mycorrhizal fungal associations due to environmental stress
Recreational activities and trampling in sensitive habitats
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Snowline Wintergreen (Pyrola minor). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/snowline-wintergreen