Virginia bluebells

(Mertensia virginica)

Conservation Status
Virginia bluebells
Photo by Babette Kis
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Midwest

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FAC - Facultative

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Virginia bluebells is a 12 to 26 tall, erect to ascending, perennial forb that rises on usually multiple stems from a caudex. It often forms colonies.

The stems are fragile, fleshy, leafy, hairless, and branching near the top.

The leaves are alternate, elliptic to egg-shaped with the attachment at the wide end or inversely egg-shaped with the attachment at the narrow end, 2 to 6 long, and up to 4 wide. They are hairless and have a soft, floppy texture. Lower leaves taper at the base to a winged leaf stalk up to 6 long. Upper leaves are on a shorter stalk and have rounded tips. The uppermost leaves are greatly reduced in size and are attached to the stem without a leaf stalk. The margins are untoothed.

The inflorescence is is a small, branched cluster at the end of the stems. The cluster is on a hairless stalk.

The flowers are trumpet-shaped, ¾ to 1 long. There are 5 petals that are purplish pink when in bud, gradually turning light blue as they unfold. They are fused at the base into a tube that flares outward at the tip with 5 shallow lobes. The tube is longer than the expanded portion of the corolla (limb). The individual flowers are never subtended with leafy bracts.

The fruit is 4 wrinkled nutlets.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

12 to 26

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Blue

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Tall bluebells (Mertensia paniculata var. paniculata) is a taller, hairy, never colonial plant with smaller flowers. It reaches up to 40 in height. The stems may be hairy. The leaves are hairy on both surfaces. Stem leaves have pointed tips. The flowers are to ½ long. The corolla tube is 1.2 to 1.6 times as long as the tube.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Moist to wet. Woods, river bottoms.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

May to June

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  4/22/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Boraginales (borages)  
 

Family

Boraginaceae (borage)  
  Subfamily Cynoglossoideae  
  Tribe Asperugeae  
 

Genus

Mertensia (bluebell)  
  Section Mertensia  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Mertensia pulmonarioides

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

bluebells

eastern bluebells

Roanoke-bells

Virginia bluebells

Virginia cowslip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bract

Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.

 

Caudex

A short, thickened, woody, persistent enlargement of the stem, at or below ground level, used for water storage.

 

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Limb

In flowers, the expanded portion of a petal, or the expanded part of a corolla, above the throat.

 

Winged leaf stalk

A leaf stalk with a leaf-like or membrane-like extension along both sides.

 
 
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Babette Kis

 
 

Mertensia virginica, Virginia bluebells

A good spring for pictures of the subject woodland plant. They're growing in a mesic woodland with American beech and sugar maple in Racine County, WI.

  Virginia bluebells  
           
    Virginia bluebells   Virginia bluebells  
           
 

Nice color variation in these native plants, medium blue to almost white.

  Virginia bluebells  
           
    Virginia bluebells      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Young plant

 
    Virginia bluebells      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    Virginia bluebells      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Virginia Bluebell
J.Steinbock
 
  Virginia Bluebell  
  Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells)
Allen Chartier
 
  Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells)  

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
PrairieMoonNursery
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jun 4, 2010

http://www.prairiemoon.com - Early May at Prairie Moon Nursery brings the beautiful Virginia Bluebells found in a wooded edge location.

   
  Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
wvoutdoorman
 
   
 
About

Published on Apr 4, 2012

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

   
  Bluebells,Virginia. Mertensia virginica
evansmedia1
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Apr 13, 2011

McCprmick's Creek State Park has an abundance of Virginia Bluebells. filmed near what is called the old state house quarry, ( no bluebells were harmed in the making of this film ) Late afternoon April 13 2011 .

McCormick's Creek State Park is located just east of Spencer, Indiana.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
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  Babette Kis
9/21/2020

Location: oak hickory woods near Barnes Prairie, Racine Co. WI on shagbark hickory

Best not to touch the hairs on these, they're irritating to the skin.

Virginia Bluebell  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

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