Achlys is a small genus of flowering plants in the barberry family (Berberidaceae), which it shares with genera such as Berberis and Vancouveria.

Flowers are small and lack sepals and petals, but instead have long showy white stamens that form single erect spikes.

In the Pacific Northwest, Achlys triphylla is ubiquitous in moist shady forests west of the Cascades at low to middle elevations from Vancouver island and southern British Columbia south to northern California.

[4] The plants are spaced widely on the rhizomes, but often overlap in large networks that result in carpets of Achlys that dominate the near-surface understory.

Besides serving as an excellent tent air freshener, Achlys has been used by native tribes of southern British Columbia as an insect repellent.