| Family | Shinleaf (Pyrolaceae) |
|---|---|
| Bloom | Summer |
| Habitat | Moist forest |
| Status | Native |
| Cycle | Perennial |
| Height | 6-15″ |
| Flower | Single red-stemmed spike cluster 3-6″ long with up to 20 small pink flowers. Each flower is 1/4″ to 1/2″ wide and have 5 round petals that hang down as bell-shaped flowers. |
| Leaf | Leaves are round, dark green 2-3″ long. |
| Notes | There are 5 species of pyrola in Michigan. This one has pink flowers. The rest have white. There are no leaves on the flower stalk. All pyrola species contain an aspirin-like substance. The leaves were historically made into leaf plaster to treat wounds and reduce pain. |
