Oakesia S.Watson 1879, illegitimate homonym, not Tuck. 1842 (syn of Corema in
Ericaceae)[2]
Oakesiella Small
Uvularia is a
genus of flowering plants in the family
Colchicaceae, which is closely related to the
lily family (
Liliaceae). They are commonly called bellworts, bellflowers, or merrybells. The genus name is derived from the Latin ūvula meaning "little grape", likely because of the way the flowers hang downward. For the same reason Uvularia may also refer to the similarly derived
palatine uvula, which hangs down from the
soft palate in the mouth. The plants are often found growing on wooded slopes or in ravines and they spread by
stolons,[3][4][5] or stoloniferous rhizomes.[6] The plants are usually 45–60 cm (18–24 in) in height and bear one or two flowers per stem in April and May, that hang downward from the axils of the leaves.
Uvularia species are herbaceous perennials with erect, simple or twice branched stems. Leaves alternate, sessile or perfoliate. Single or sometimes paired flowers hang downward from the top of the stems appearing axillary but are in fact terminal. They bloom in spring with bell shaped flowers composed of long tepals. Fruits are three lobed, greenish to yellowish brown in color, producing 1 to 3 roundish seeds per
locule.[8]
Cultivation
These unobtrusive
woodland plants are used in woodland and shade gardens.[9]
^Hayashi, Kazuhiko; Yoshida, Seiji; Kato, Hidetoshi; Utech, Frederick H.; Whigham, Dennis F.; Kawanoi, Shoichi (1998). "Molecular Systematics of the Genus Uvularia and Selected Liliales Based upon mat K and rbc L Gene Sequence Data". Plant Species Biology. 13 (2–3): 129–146.
doi:
10.1111/j.1442-1984.1998.tb00254.x.
^Whigham, Dennis; Chapa, Anita (1999). "Timing and intensity of herbivory: Its influence on the performance of clonal woodland herbs". Plant Species Biology. 14 (1): 29–37.
doi:
10.1046/j.1442-1984.1999.00004.x.
^"Uvularia". County-level distribution maps from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2018.