Linnaea borealis
Twinflower
How do you recognise twinflower?
A trailing dwarf shrub whose thin stem often creeps over moss and can run 0.5–1 metre. The leaves are roundish and grow in pairs, and they last through two winters. An upright flower stalk carries two pale pink bell-shaped flowers at its tip.
What is it confused with?
Two flowers on one upright stalk is particular to twinflower and is not seen on the other dwarf shrubs of heath forest. Lingonberry and bilberry have much larger leaves and do not creep through moss.
Where does twinflower grow, and when does it flower?
Twinflower favours dry and mesic heath forest of the bilberry type. It flowers in June and July, and the flowers are scented above all at night.
Can you collect it for a herbarium?
Twinflower is common in heath forest, but it is a delicate plant, so take only a short piece of stem with its flowers.
Did you know?
Twinflower was Carl Linnaeus’s favourite plant and carries his name in its scientific one, Linnaea borealis. The scent is strongest in the evening and at night, when dusk-flying pollinators are about.
Where does twinflower grow in Finland?
The map shows where the species has been recorded. Darker squares mean more observations.
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Observations: GBIF · Map: CARTO, OpenStreetMap
Sources: fi.wikipedia.org
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