One of our rarest pinewood flowers, its scent gives it its common Scandinavian names, Perfume flower and Little lily-of-the-valley. Twinflower was first recorded near Aberdeen in 1795, and named after the famous botanist Carl Linnaeus. It is an iconic yet tiny species of Caledonian pine forests.

Action Needed

Support implementation of better woodland management schemes, including the restoration and expansion of Caledonian pinewoods.
Promote efforts to save this fragile species.
Support a Nature Network for Scotland, which will reconnect areas of habitat and help species like twinflower to thrive.

Threats

Twinflower needs cross-pollination to form viable seed, but, because of historical habitat loss, the remaining populations are too isolated and fragmented for pollinators to fly between them. This means it can’t reproduce, and is therefore facing an uncertain future in Scotland.