Flower profile
One-sided wintergreen
Orthilia secunda
One-sided wintergreen is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Alaska
Quick look
Orthilia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. It has only one species, Orthilia secunda. Its common names are sidebells wintergreen, one-sided-wintergreen and serrated-wintergreen. It is also called one-sided pyrola, one-sided shinleaf, and one-sided wintergreen. It was previously part of genus Pyrola, the wintergreens.
- 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 34 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 805 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #54 among the 108 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist
One-sided wintergreen gift ideas
Handmade one-sided wintergreen gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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One-sided wintergreen art print
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One-sided wintergreen greeting card
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One-sided wintergreen mug
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One-sided wintergreen earrings
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One-sided wintergreen embroidery pattern
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One-sided wintergreen sticker
When does it bloom?
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.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CT (SH), DC (SH), DE (SH), IA (S1), IN (SX), MA (S1), MD (SH), NE (S1), NJ (S2), OH (SH), RI (S1), VA (SH). (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?
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.
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 one-sided wintergreen in 34 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.
Alaska counties with USDA records: 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, Sitka, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.
More Alaska flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ORSE.
- iNaturalist, Orthilia secunda: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Orthilia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Orthilia secunda (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: John Brew via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.