It grows as a mycoheterotroph (relying on fungi rather than photosynthesis for nutrients) in coniferous or mixed forests.

[5] The above-ground stalks (inflorescences) resemble an emerging asparagus spear in shape and are usually found in small clusters between June and August.

[4] The lower portion of the flowering stem is tightly covered in bracts and they become more widely spaced higher on the stalk.

[8] The upper portion of the inflorescence has a series of white, yellowish, or rusty urn-shaped flowers that face downward.

[8] Once fruiting is complete the flowering stems dry out and persist in the forest for a significant length of time.

[11] The main plants that may be confused with Pterospora andromedea are the mycoheterotrophic orchids in genus Corallorhiza, commonly called the coral roots.

[3][16] Rhizopogon species also exhibit high host specificity and sub-genus Amylopogon is primarily associated with the Pinus genus.

Fungal exoenzymatic activity has been shown to be required for seed germination of P. andromedea however the requisite enzymes are not exclusively produced within subgenus Amylopogon indicating that seed colonization by fungi outside of the observed host specificity is possible however ecologically restricted by some currently unknown mechanism.

He based his work on specimens collected by Charles Whitlow in Canada near Niagara Falls.

[20] The genus name is derived from the morphology of the seeds which have narrow flaps of tissue on the side and therefore appear winged: pteron (Gr.)

America's eastern population is found in Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin, and possibly in Pennsylvania.

[29] It is also very rarely found in the highest elevations of Sierra de San Pedro Mártir in Baja California.

[1] The seed stalks are occasionally collected to be used as long lasting ornaments in dry floral arrangements.