Yellow Mountain Avens vs Twinflower - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Mountain Avens vs Twinflower

Linnaea borealis

Dryas drummondii

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Twinflower
Yellow Mountain Avens

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 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. After the blooms fade, the plant produces silky seed heads that begin as upright, compact tufts and gradually expand into rounded, fluffy clusters, adding texture and interest to the landscape.

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 Quick Facts

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

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


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


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