Sphagnum bogs and tamarack swamps, surviving a good deal of shade as succession advances; in fens and boggy interdunal flats and pools, thriving in both acid and alkaline habitats.

The petals are normally a rich maroon, the calyx of similar red-purple shade, and the leaves at least slightly veined with red. Plants completely lacking this pigment (flowers yellow, leaves green to yellowish) have been called f. heterophylla (Eaton) Fernald.