# Twinflower (Linnaea borealis subsp. americana)

> Twinflower, Linnaea borealis subsp. americana: a shrub of 3 to 6 inches for zones 2 to 6, when it flowers and fruits, and the states where it is native.

Blue Whale Trees, a native tree nursery in the United States. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/species/twinflower/

![Dozens of paired, nodding pale pink twinflower bells on slender stalks above small round leaves and moss](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/species/twinflower-1000.jpg?v=c746a6af "Twinflower in bloom by the Rainy River in Turtle River Provincial Park, Ontario, on July 3, 2011. Its paired bells open from June through September.")
*Photo: Brian Gratwicke, [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALinnaea_borealis_%281%29.jpg))*

Shrub, 3 to 6 inches, zones 2 to 6; full sun, part shade or shade; dry, average or wet ground.

We do not grow twinflower, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers its facts and the states where it is native.

Twinflower spreads mainly by runners that root as they creep, and seedlings are uncommon in the wild. Stem cuttings taken in late spring, or layering a runner, raise it more easily than seed. Its seed is hard to collect and slow to sprout.

## At a glance

| Fact | Twinflower |
| --- | --- |
| Other names | American twinflower, northern twinflower |
| Form | Shrub |
| Height, inches | 3 to 6 |
| Spread, inches | Up to 39 |
| Zones | 2 to 6 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Leaves | Evergreen |
| Traits | Showy flowers |
| Flowers | June to September |
| Fruit | Capsules, July to October |
| Pollination | Not known whether one bears alone |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | The forest understory, rocky ground, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 32 states |

Twinflower is native in 32 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from the Fire Effects Information System, NatureServe Explorer and the Wildflower Center.

## Read from

Its figures come from the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the US Forest Service, the USDA PLANTS Database, the Wildflower Center, Go Botany, Minnesota Wildflowers, Native Gardens of Blue Hill, Plants For A Future and NatureServe Explorer.