large-flowered bellwort

(Uvularia grandiflora)

Conservation Status
large-flowered bellwort
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Large-flowered bellwort is a 8 to 20 tall, erect, herbaceous perennial rising on one to several stems from a short, slender rhizome with clustered, fleshy roots. It often forms colonies.

The stems are 8 to 20 tall, rounded, forked once or twice above the middle, and have sheathing bracts at the base. They are light green or reddish-green, hairless, are covered with a whitish, waxy coating (glaucous). On young, flowering plants the stem is usually unforked and the upper stem nods under the weight of the leaves and flowers. On mature, fruiting plants the stems are forked once or twice and are reclining. There is usually just a single leaf below the fork of the stem. One branch is sterile and has 4 to 8 leaves, one branch is fertile and has several leaves and 1 to 3 flowers.

The leaves are alternate, untoothed, 2 to 5 long and ¾ to 2 wide, oval to oblong egg-shaped, with a pointed tip and a rounded base. Near the base the leaf entirely surrounds the stem, giving the appearance that the stem is growing through the leaf (perfoliate). The upper surface of the leaf is hairless and bright green to bluish-green. They have 3 to 5 prominent, parallel veins. On the underside of the leaf the veins are covered with minute white hairs. On young plants the leaves are soft, drooping, and somewhat rolled. On mature plants the leaves are firm and are held horizontally.

The inflorescence is 1 to 3 flowers at the end of a flowering branch. They may appear to be born in a leaf axil, since the forked stem on which they are borne ends abruptly after forking.

The flowers are bell-shaped, 1 to 2 long, elongated, slightly twisted, nodding and slightly fragrant. They are borne on to 1 long flower stalks and are subtended with a single bract. There are 6 yellow overlapping tepals. The interior surface of the tepals are hairless.

The fruit is a 3-celled, greenish to yellowish-brown, to long, to ¾ wide capsule. The capsule is egg-shaped to pyramid-shaped, with a rounded tip, 3 well-rounded lobes, and 2 beaks on each lobe. Each cell contains several seeds.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

8 to 20

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Yellow

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum), hairy Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum pubescens), rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus var. roseus), and smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) all have similar leaf shape and plant form. None have perfoliate leaves.

Wild oats (Uvularia sessilifolia) is a shorter plant, 4 to 12 tall. The leaves are smaller, 1½ to 2½ long and to 1¼ wide. They attach to the stem without a stalk (sessile) but do not wrap around the stem at their base. The flowers are cream to pale straw-yellow, and smaller, ½ to 1 long. There is only 1 flower per stem. The seed capsules are sharply lobed and longer, to 1 long.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry to moist. Rich woods, forests.

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

April to May

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

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

 
         
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
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 Liliopsida (monocots)  
 

Order

Liliales (lilies, supplejacks, and allies)  
 

Family

Colchicaceae (bellworts and allies)  
  Tribe Uvularieae  
 

Genus

Uvularia (bellworts)  
  Section Uvularia (perfoliate-leaved bellworts)  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

bellwort

fairybells

large bellwort

large marybells

large merrybells

largeflower bellwort

large-flower bellwort

large-flowered bellwort

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Beak

A comparatively short and stout, narrow or prolonged tip on a thickened organ, as on some fruits and seeds.

 

Bract

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

 

Glaucous

Covered with a whitish, waxy coating, as on a plum or a grape.

 

Perfoliate

A leaf having margins that entirely surround the stem, giving the appearance that the stem is growing through the leaf.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Sepal

An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.

 

Sessile

Stalkless; attached at the base without a petiole, peduncle, pedicel, or stalk.

 

Sheath

The lower part of the leaf that surrounds the stem.

 

Tepal

Refers to both the petals and the sepals of a flower when they are similar in appearance and difficult to tell apart. Tepals are common in lilies and tulips.

 
 
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Wayne Rasmussen

 
    large-flowered bellwort      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Flower

 
    large-flowered bellwort      
           
 

Leaves

 
    large-flowered bellwort   large-flowered bellwort  
           
    large-flowered bellwort   large-flowered bellwort  
           
 

Plant in Fruit

 
    large-flowered bellwort   large-flowered bellwort  
           
 

Infructescence

 
    large-flowered bellwort      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Uvularia grandiflora (Bellwort)
Allen Chartier
 
  Uvularia grandiflora (Bellwort)  

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
PrairieMoonNursery
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jun 2, 2010

http://www.prairiemoon.com Bellwort is an attractive early spring woodland native that spreads slowly by underground rhizomes. Shown blooming with Rue Anemone.

   
  13 Uvularia grandiflora Séquence 15-Vivaces printanières 1.m4v
Jeanfilm2
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jan 9, 2010

L'Uvulaire à grande fleurs du printemps à l'automne. Uvularia grandiflora, de la prima vera hasta el otoño. Uvularia grandiflora from spring to fall.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Wayne Rasmussen
5/31/2016

Location: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

large-flowered bellwort  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit

Banning State Park

Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park

Big Woods Heritage Forest WMA

Brownsville Bluff SNA

Butterwort Cliffs SNA

Camden State Park

Cannon River Turtle Preserve SNA

Cannon River Wilderness Area

Carver Park Reserve

Chamberlain Woods SNA

Charles A. Lindbergh State Park

Chimney Rock SNA

Clinton Falls Dwarf Trout Lily SNA

Crow Wing State Park

Crystal Spring SNA

Elm Creek Park Reserve

Falls Creek SNA

Flandrau State Park

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Franconia Bluffs SNA

Frontenac State Park

Glendalough State Park

Great River Bluffs State Park

Greenwater Lake SNA

Hampton Woods WMA

Hardscrabble Woods / MG Tusler Sanctuary

Hastings Sand Coulee SNA

Inspiration Peak

Itasca State Park

Itasca Wilderness Sanctuary SNA

Jay Cooke State Park

John A. Latsch State Park

Kilen Woods State Park

King’s and Queen’s Bluff SNA

Laible Woods

Lake Alexander Woods SNA, South Unit

Lake Bemidji State Park

Lake Carlos State Park

Lake Maria State Park

Lawrence Creek SNA

Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Leif Mountain

Lost 40 SNA

Maplewood State Park

Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

Mille Lacs Moraine SNA

Mille Lacs WMA

Monson Lake State Park

Moose Lake State Park

Mound Prairie SNA

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo

Partch Woods SNA

Pine Bend Bluffs SNA

Potato Lake SNA

Prairie Bush Clover SNA

Prairie Creek Woods SNA

Ritter Farm Park

St. Croix Savanna SNA

St. Croix State Park

Sakatah Lake State Park

Savage Fen SNA

Savanna Portage State Park

Scenic State Park

Seven Mile Creek County Park

Sibley State Park

Spring Creek Prairie SNA

Spring Lake Park Reserve

Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve

Townsend Woods SNA

Whitewater State Park

Wild River State Park

William O’Brien State Park

Wolsfeld Woods SNA

Wood-Rill SNA

Zumbro Falls Woods SNA

 

 

 

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