Large Flowered Bellwort

Large Flowered Bellwort
Uvularia grandiflora

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Bellworts are members of the Lily family - and we have a few in our area. This one, the Large-Flowered, is not common, but is unmistakable when you see it. Look for it to bloom around mid-May, along the Parkway north of Asheville before you get to Craggy Gardens. The Bellworts first emerge in early spring, with a single stalk and tightly furled bright green leaves. They look very much like Solomon's Seal or Solomon's Plume - not too surprising , as they are all Lilies.This one is called Large-Flowered for an obvious reason- compared to other Bellworts the flowers are huge, dangling a good 1.5" to 2" from their long pedicels. The petals are bright canary yellow, and are entirely smooth inside and out. The plant is about 1 to 1.5 feet high. The leaves of this Bellwort are "perfoliate", completely surrounding the stem. More common is the Perfoliate Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata ). Perfoliate Bellwort looks somewhat similar - the main stalk may branch into two or three stems, and the leaves surround the stems. But the flowers are a paler yellow, are much smaller (about 3/4" long) and the inside of each petal is fuzzy. A third species you might see is U. pudica, the smallest and least conspicuous - growing no more than 8 or 10" high, with a single stalk and a single flower that is pale straw-colored, looks like a single bell, petals smooth inside,and the leaves are sessile but not perfoliate. All the Bellworts grow mostly at mid elevations, and prefer drier, sunnier spots, especially trailsides and roadsides.

A note on the nomenclature (naming conventions) on this site: Scientific names and classifications are constantly being argued and changed, and it drives me nuts. Although I use many different sources for knowledge, for naming consistency I use the "Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas" by Radford, Ahles and Bell, 1968 edition. This book is a well-established authority for the plants of our region and I've been using it for years. If for some reason I must use a different source for a particular plant, I will make note of it within the descriptive text. Don't like it? Tough!

fdudley@weaversites.com

Fiona Dudley
Weaversites
986 Reems Creek Road
Weaverville NC 28787

828-231-1501