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Uvularia perfoliata
Perfoliate Bellwort
Florida native
In Florida, this small herbaceous plant of dry to moist hammocks is found only in Leon and Gadsden Counties. The range includes much of the eastern United States, west into Indiana and Kentucky, extending farther west in the south to Texas and Oklahoma, plus Ontario.
Of the three Uvularia species in Florida, this is the only one with perfoliate leaves. In other parts of the range, U. grandiflora also shares this leaf characteristic.
Perfoliate bellwort is an erect, colonial perennial that grows from 20-40 cm (8-16 in.) tall. The perfoliate leaves are alternate, elliptic, entire, smooth underneath and 5-9 cm (2 to 3-1/2 in.) long. The flowers are straw yellow colored with three sepals overlapping the three similar looking petals. Flowers are nodding, appearing singly from the upper leaf axils. The inner surface of the petals are rough, appearing granular, as though sprinkled with corn meal.
The genus name derives from Linnaeus, the flower reminding him of the uvula hanging from the back of our mouths.
Uvularia perfoliata is a member of the Liliaceae - Lily family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 07, 2016
