Tender new shoots and inner bark are said to be nutritious. Light green feathery foliage is softly needle-like but is deciduous and drops in the fall. Common along all trails Dried leaves of this widespread , low-growing northern shrub can be steeped and used for tea. Leathery dark green leaves with rolled in margins are rusty-colored and hairy underneath. Creamy white terminal clusters of 5-petalled flowers bloom in early summer.
Twinflower is a low creeping, mat-forming plant with delicate twin bell flowers.
Small rounded leaves are opposite along the trailing stem. Single or branched stems are marked with indentations from the start of annual growth. The evergreen bristly leaves are narrow and grow in semi-whorls around the stem. Reproduction is by spores. The yellowish strobilus is slim and pointed and is on a short stalk terminating the stem.