Wikimedia Commons
Caprifoliaceae
Twinflower
Linnaea borealis
Modesty, devotion, north woods.
- Family
- Caprifoliaceae
- Genus
- Linnaea
- Native to
- Circumboreal forests of North America, Europe, Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Evergreen creeping subshrub
- Height
- 5–10 cm
- Sunlight
- Part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist, acidic, mossy
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 2–6
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Twinflower was the favorite flower of Carl Linnaeus — the father of modern taxonomy — who specifically asked for the genus to be named after him because the plant was small, modest, and so rarely noticed.
- Each flower stalk holds two perfect bell-shaped pink flowers that nod in opposite directions, hence the name 'twinflower'.
- The flowers are so small and the plant so low to the ground that you have to crawl on your belly through the moss to fully appreciate them.
- It's one of the most widespread plants in the world, growing in cool boreal forests from Alaska to Scandinavia to Siberia.
- The flowers smell faintly of vanilla or almond, especially in evening — a surprising perfume from such a tiny woodland flower.
Color meanings
Pink
Quiet humility