Yellow Mountain Avens vs Twinflower - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Mountain Avens vs Twinflower

Dryas drummondii

Linnaea borealis

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Yellow Mountain Avens
Twinflower

Yellow Mountain Avens is a native perennial wildflower with bright yellow buttercup-like blooms. The nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. By thriving at higher elevations, it helps sustain pollinator populations and provides one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen in alpine habitats.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Mountain Avens enriches soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. It forms dense, spreading mats of evergreen foliage that act as a groundcover and help stabilize soil. Often among the first species to establish in disturbed alpine sites such as glacial outwash or landslides, it is well-suited for alpine revegetation, erosion control, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects in harsh, rocky environments.

Twinflower is a native, trailing evergreen ground cover known for its delicate flowers that grow in nodding pairs. These pale pink blooms are described as being sweetly fragrant, attracting native bees and other pollinators.
Growing in cool, moist, acidic soils, the trailing stems form roots as they spread and start to form mats across the forest floor. Due to its woody stem, it is technically classified as a shrub and often referred to as a subshrub or dwarf shrub. This species is well-suited for naturalization, restoration, and conservation projects.
Twinflower (Linneae borealis) was named in honour of Carl Linnaeus, who adopted it as his personal emblem.

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

Twinflower Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.4 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: mat-forming, creeping
Growth form: creeping or trailing, ground cover
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low


Foliage: evergreen, leathery
Fall colour: reddish tinge
Flowers: yellow, buttercup-like, nodding
Flowers: Pink, bell-shaped, fragrant pairs
Bloom time: spring to summer
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NL, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: drummonds dryad, drummonds mountain avens, yellow dryad
Other Names: northern twinflower, pink bells