Liliaceae : Uvularia grandiflora
Family Name
Liliaceae
Common Name
Large bellwort
Description
Uvularia grandiflora is a perennial herb growing from a rhizome and thickened fibrous roots, with simple to occasionally branched stems, 35-70 cm tall. The simple, alternate, ovate oblong to elliptic leaves are 6-12 cm long and 2-6 cm wide, smooth on top and hairy below. The leaf margins are entire and membranous. The solitary flowers are terminal and drooping. There are 6 yellow tepals that appear twisted, 2.5-4.5 cm long, the tips pointed, with 2mm diameter nectaries toward the base. The 6 stamens are shorter than the petals. The fruit is a 3-lobed capsule containing several rounded seeds. Large bellwort blooms in April and May in moist woodlands along the eastern edge of South Dakota.
Horticulture Notes
Seed collection: Collect the capsules in June and allow them to completely dry before refrigerating the seeds.
Germination: The seeds are best planted in the fall, but can be sown in the spring after a 90-day cold-warm-cold treatments.
Vegetative propagation: The plants spread by rhizomes and can be divided after they are dormant.
Light: Partial shade to full shade.
Soil: Organically rich well drained soil.
Water: Medium wet to medium dry soil conditions.
Additional Notes
Large bellwort is an excellent shade plant for a native woodland garden. They are early blooming and add color underneath a wooded plot. Bellwort spreads slowly by rhizomes and will create mass plantings in a relatively short amount of time. Bumblebees and other native bee species are attracted to the nectar and collect pollen from the flowers.