Flower profile

One-sided wintergreen

Orthilia secunda

One-sided wintergreen (Orthilia secunda) is a low shrub in the Ericaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly July–August across the U.S.

Native to Alaska

One-sided wintergreen is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

34states where USDA records it

805AK sightings*

5,960U.S. sightings*

*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.
From Wikipedia's article Orthilia, 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 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 121 flowers on our Alaska list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Alaska (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (15 records)

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?

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 one-sided wintergreen in 34 states plus Washington, D.C.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

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.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Greenland: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Pyrola secunda, Ramischia elatior, Ramischia secunda.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 488 counties across 33 states; the most are in Michigan (54), New York (45), Minnesota (37).

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 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.