# Twinflower (*Linnaea borealis*) The Twinflower is a tiny, pink flower that grows in pairs on a delicate stem. It loves to hide in cool, shady forests and is known for its sweet fragrance. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 6 - **Habitat:** Forests ![Twinflower](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Linnaea_borealis_8803.JPG&width=800) Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Linnaea_borealis_8803.JPG) ## Appearance The Twinflower has delicate, bell-shaped flowers that hang in pairs from slender stalks. Each flower is pale pink to white, often streaked with darker pink inside, and has small, oval, evergreen leaves along its creeping stems. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Dipsacales - **Family:** Caprifoliaceae - **Genus:** Linnaea ## Interesting facts - Carl Linnaeus, the famous botanist, loved this flower so much he named himself after it! - It's a 'circumboreal' plant, growing all the way around the top of the world! - Its tiny, bell-shaped flowers are sweetly scented, attracting buzzing insects from afar! - Some First Nations people used parts of Twinflower as a traditional medicine. ## Special abilities - **Ground Hugger:** Twinflower has creeping stems that spread across the ground, helping it find new places to grow and form cozy carpets. - **Dynamic Duo Bloom:** Twinflower always blooms with two perfect flowers on a single stalk, making it easy for pollinators to find them. - **Winter Green Guardian:** Twinflower keeps its small, round leaves green all winter, letting it make food when other plants are dormant. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-15 cm - **Spread:** 10-50 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Gypsy Cuckoo Bumblebee (*Bombus bohemicus*) — This bumblebee visits Twinflower for its nectar and pollen. - **Pollinates:** Western honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Commonly visited by honey bees for nectar and pollen. - **Eaten by:** [Moose](https://www.snappit.app/explore/moose) (*Alces alces*) — Provides a minor food source for moose and other browsers. - **Shelter:** [White Spruce](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-spruce) (*Picea glauca*) — Often grows beneath the shade of white spruce trees in boreal forests. ## Traits - [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators. - [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch flowers in the wild to keep them safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Twinflower? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Twinflower? 5-15 cm ### How wide does Twinflower spread? 10-50 cm ### How big are the flowers on Twinflower? 1-1.5 cm ### When does Twinflower bloom? Summer ### Is Twinflower edible? No ### Is Twinflower toxic? None ### What is Twinflower's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [E.C. Manning Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/e-c-manning-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Mehatl Creek Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mehatl-creek-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/purcell-wilderness-conservancy-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Ross Lake National Recreation Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ross-lake-national-recreation-area) — Washington, US · National Park - [Valhalla Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/valhalla-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Canaan Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/canaan-street-historic-district) — New Hampshire, US · Historic District [View all places to see Twinflower](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/twinflower) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Twinflower: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/twinflower)