Uvularia grandiflora

Taxobox
name = Large-flowered Bellwort


image_width = 240px
image_caption = Flowers of Large-flowered Bellwort
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Liliales
familia = Liliaceae
genus = "Uvularia"
species = "U. grandiflora"
binomial = "Uvularia grandiflora"
binomial_authority = Sm.

Large-flowered bellwort ("Uvularia grandiflora") is a plant in the family Liliaceae. It blooms in May, producing large yellow flowers. The top parts of the plant tend to bend downward due to the weight of the leaves and flowers. The light green stems are round, glabrous, and glaucous and the leaves are perfoliate since the stem appears to come through the leaves at the base.

Large flowered bellwort are different from "Uvularia sessilifolia" in that the leaves grow from the stem and its flowers are smaller. Uvalaria grandiflora are also different from "Uvularia perfoliata," which occurs in Central North America. The perfoliata has similar large perfolate leaves like the grandiflora, but the flowers have orange-coloured bumps on the petals.
Bumblebees, Mason bees, Halictid bees, and Andrenid bees feed from the nectar and collect pollen from the flowers. Deer love to eat these plants.

In fall three capsuled ovaries can be observed on some individuals.The seeds have attached food bodies (elaiosome) making it attractive to ants for the redistribution of the seeds.

External links

* http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=R260
* http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/lf_bellwort.htm