Flower profile

Twinflower

Linnaea borealis

Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) is a low shrub in the Caprifoliaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Twinflower is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–July.

32states where USDA records it

6Bloomipedia state lists include it

14,476U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alaska, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington

Quick look

Linnaea borealis is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is the only species in the genus Linnaea. It is a boreal to subarctic woodland subshrub, commonly known as twinflower.
From Wikipedia's article Linnaea, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 32 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Maine, Montana and New Hampshire. ^NatureServe
In Washington, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
In Oregon, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,428 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #32 among the 187 flowers on our Washington list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,817 research-grade sightings of it in Oregon, ranking #96 among the 184 flowers on our Oregon list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,301 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #31 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,456 records)

Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Washington	Native	June–August	4,428
Oregon	Native	May–August	1,817
Alaska	Native	June–August	1,301
Maine	Native	June–July	925
Montana	Native	June–July	781
New Hampshire	Native	few records (46)	324

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
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Washington.
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
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.
Maine: Not listed Not on Maine Rare Plant List (Maine Natural Areas Program, 2021). E and T are Maine's official endangered and threatened plants (12 M.R.S.); SC and PE are tracking categories. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maine. ^{Maine rare plant list}
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
New Hampshire: Not listed Not on New Hampshire Official Rare Plants List (Ncr 312, eff. Jan 1, 2020). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Hampshire. ^{NH Ncr 312}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AZ (S1), IA (S1), IN (SX), OH (SX), PA (S1), TN (SX), WV (S1). (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 twinflower in 32 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of 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, Wyoming.

Washington counties with USDA records: Chelan, Clallam, Columbia, Cowlitz, Ferry, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima.

Oregon counties with USDA records: Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Washington, Yamhill.

Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Haines, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Sitka, Southeast Fairbanks, 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.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 410 counties across 29 states; the most are in Michigan (53), Wisconsin (44), Washington (31).

More from the Caprifoliaceae family (18 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Amur honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle, Wild teasel, Twinberry honeysuckle, Common snowberry, Pink honeysuckle, Coral honeysuckle, Cutleaf teasel.

More Washington flowers

Common snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

🌷 Flowering shrub

🌼 Blooms in WA: May–August

Orange honeysuckle

Lonicera ciliosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in WA: May–June

Twinberry honeysuckle

Lonicera involucrata

Native

🌼 Blooms in WA: April–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LIBO3.
iNaturalist, Linnaea borealis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Linnaea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
State rare and invasive plant lists (9):
Show all 9 state lists
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Linnaea borealis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Dawn Nelson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.