Pink pyrola is a forest and woodland herbaceous species in the wintergreen family (Pyrolaceae) with several long-petioled leaves and a spike of pinkish flowers. Plants spread from rhizomes, the stems reaching 15-30 cm tall. The basal leaves are heart-shaped to round, the base sometimes indented, shiny dark green on the upper side. Margins are entire to slightly crenate. Each plant has one leafless stem with 5-25 small perfect pink flowers. There are a few bracts below the flowers. Petioles and the stem are often reddish, both leaves and stems are glabrous. The five petals are red to white-pink, usually lighter at the base and darker at the tips, overlapping in a radially-symmetrical bowl-shaped flower. The style curves downwards (like an elephant's trunk), with a ring below the stigma. The anthers are curled over, encased in tan or dark pink sheath, releasing pollen through pores. Fruits are globose capsules containing many minute seeds. Pyrola asarifolia looks similar to the other pyrolas in the flora, but this species is distinguished by its pink flowers and anthers. Pyrola minor can sometimes have pink flowers, but its anthers are yellow, and the style is straight, not curving and not exserted from the flower.

Pyrola asarifolia is perennial, overwintering with rhizomes and evergreen leaves. This species flowers early in the season.

This species is insect pollinated. A study on pollination found that flowers would not self-fertilize if isolated from insects (no autodeposition), but it is unknown whether the species will set seed if self-pollinated (Jensen 1961). Fruits are round capsules, each splitting from the base and releasing hundreds of tiny seeds to be dispersed by wind, gravity and water. It also spreads clonally by rhizomes (Doak and Loso 2003).

Wide-ranging; somewhat wet to well-drained sites.