It is found in the mountainous regions of Europe and also occurs in Iceland, Greenland and north-eastern Canada.

Bartsia alpina is a hemiparasitic perennial plant with a woody rhizome, growing to a height of between 8 and 30 cm (3 and 12 in).

The leaves are in opposite pairs, with oval leaf blades up to 25 mm (1.0 in) long and toothed margins.

[3] It has a very restricted distribution in the British Isles, occurring only in a few locations in upland areas in northern England, and in the central Scottish Highlands.

[3] It used to occur in damp pasture, in basic flushes and runnels and wet, steep, species-rich banks, but it has largely been eliminated from these habitats by over-grazing and trampling by livestock.