It occurs in temperate and cool areas throughout Eurasia, from Spain to Yakutia, and from Iceland to Mongolia.

[1] It prefers calcareous soils and lives in damp and shady places, especially old established woods and stream banks.

[5] P. quadrifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant that is 25 to 40 cm (10 to 15.5 in) tall.

[7] It has a solitary flower with four narrow greenish filiform (threadlike) petals, four green petaloid sepals, eight golden yellow stamens, and a round purple to red ovary.

[8] Poisonings are rare because the plant's solitary berry has a repulsive taste that makes it difficult to mistake for a bilberry.