LILY FAMILY 



LILIACEAE 



BELLWORT 



Uvularia grandiflora Sm. 



The Bellwort is easily recognized by its foliage, for the 

 base of each leaf is grown around the stem in such a way that 

 it looks as though the stem had grown right through the leaf. 



It grows in rich woods from 

 Quebec to Ontario and Minn- 

 esota, south to Georgia, Tenn- 

 essee and Kansas, and blooms 

 from April to June. 



A number of fleshy roots branch 

 from the underground stem by which 

 the plant is perennial. The aerial 

 stem is 6-20 inches high and forked 

 above the middle. Below the fork 

 is a single leaf or none at all, whereas 

 several are above the fork. The 

 leaves are somewhat hairy on the 

 lower surface, at least when young, 

 but otherwise the whole plant is 

 smooth. 



The flowers are lemon yellow 

 and always drooping. The 6 seg- 

 ments of the bell-shaped perianth 

 are separate and they fall ofi^ after 

 the flower has bloomed. Usually 

 they are smooth on both sides. The 6 stamens are 

 free from the perianth or attached to its very base. 

 The filaments are slender and short and the narrow 

 anthers are much longer. The ovary is 3-lobed and 

 3-celled. The 3 styles are united to the middle and 

 separate above. The capsule is 3-angled and con- 

 tains 3-9 seeds. 



The other Bellwort of the region, Uvularia perjoliata 

 L., has smaller flowers and is covered with a whitish bloom. There 

 are 1-3 leaves below the fork and all the leaves are smooth. The plant 

 grows 6-20 inches high in moist woods or thickets trom eastern 

 Massachusetts to Ontario, North Dakota and southwestward. It 

 is a raritv in Illinois, 



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