Flower profile

Bog wintergreen

Pyrola asarifolia

Bog wintergreen (Pyrola asarifolia) is a low shrub in the Ericaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Bog wintergreen is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

27states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

6,361U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska, Montana

Quick look

Pyrola asarifolia, commonly known as liverleaf wintergreen, bog wintergreen, alpine wintergreen, pink wintergreen, or pink shinleaf, is a plant species of the genus Pyrola native to North America. It is found in Canada and northern US, primarily in cool, moist environments. It is so named simply because its leaves maintain their green color through winter. It has uses in traditional medicine.
From Wikipedia's article Pyrola asarifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Ericaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 27 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska and Montana. ^NatureServe
In Alaska, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,355 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #27 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 468 research-grade sightings of it in Montana, ranking #99 among the 128 flowers on our Montana list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (395 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Alaska	Native	June–August	1,355
Montana	Native	few records (13)	468

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Alaska: No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Montana.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IA (S1), IN (S1), MA (S1), NY (S2), VT (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records bog wintergreen in 27 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.

Montana counties with USDA records: Beaverhead, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Granite, Hill, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Missoula, Park, Phillips, Powell, Sanders, Silver Bow.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 353 counties across 23 states; the most are in Michigan (50), Minnesota (39), Wisconsin (28).

Other Pyrola on Bloomipedia (2): American wintergreen, Shinleaf.

More from the Ericaceae family (55 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Ghost pipe, Rhododendrons and azaleas, Striped wintergreen, Mountain laurel, Eastern teaberry (wintergreen), Salal, Woodland pinedrops, Pinesap.

More Alaska flowers

Lingonberry

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in AK

Black crowberry

Empetrum nigrum

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in AK

Bog bilberry

Vaccinium uliginosum

Native

🌼 Blooms in AK: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PYAS.
iNaturalist, Pyrola asarifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Pyrola asarifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Pyrola asarifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Dee Shea Himes via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.