Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Shortia galacifolia
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more: Shortia galacifolia (Oconee Bells), Devils Fork State Park, Oconee County, South Carolina by Jim Fowler.
Read more about Shortia at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Shortia brevistyla ... (Diapensiaceae), a narrow endemic from the headwaters of the Catawba River in NC (Gaddy et al., 2019)
Shortia galacifolia
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 146-01-001:
Shortia galacifolia FAMILY Diapensiaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sherwoodia galacifolia
COMMON NAME:
Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Steve Marlow snm079901_05
January Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
)
Ben Geer Keys bgk1375_c
March
Flowers solitary on scapes up to 6" long, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Jim Fowler jaf_shortiagalacifolia02
March Pickens County SC
Devils Fork State Park
The rare, pink form.
)
JK Marlow jkm0403e_03
March Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Glossy leaves resembling Galax - as the specific name implies, per Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition.
COMPARE
leaves of Galax and Oconee Bells
)
Keith Bradley kab_s_galacifolia_1036
March Oconee County SC
Devils Fork State Park
Flowers resemble a nodding bell, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
Keith Bradley kab_s_galacifolia_1083
March Oconee County SC
Devils Fork State Park
Style (10-) 12-18mm long, about 2× as long as the stamens, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
Keith Bradley kab_s_galacifolia_1110
March Oconee County SC
Devils Fork State Park
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_s_galacifolia_oconee
March
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_shortia_galacifolia_2
March
)
Bill Sharpton gws_oconeebells_l
March? Oconee County SC
Devils Fork State Park
Scapes with 3-5 bracts, these often closely subtending the calyx, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Jim Fanning jcf_shortia1
April Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
)
JK Marlow jkm100402_024
April Oconee County SC
Jocassee Gorges
)
JK Marlow jkm100402_059b
April Oconee County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Petal margins obtusely toothed, laciniate [narrow irregular cuts] or fringed, per Flora of North America.
)
Ron Lance rwl_shortia
April
In cultivation
)
Steve Marlow snm100402_r111_41
April Oconee County SC
Jocassee Gorges
)
JK Marlow jkm0305za_03
May Buncombe County NC
Botanical Gardens at Asheville
)
JK Marlow jkm080507_037
May Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Style 12-18mm long. Fruit a capsule, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow s071108_b
November Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Leaves with pinnate veins (vs. the palmate veins of Galax), per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow s071108_b2
November Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Leaves orbicular to elliptic-orbicular, coarsely crenate-serrate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Shortia galacifolia
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Shortia brevistyla ... (Diapensiaceae), a narrow endemic from the headwaters of the Catawba River in NC (Gaddy et al., 2019)
Shortia galacifolia
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 146-01-001:
Shortia galacifolia
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sherwoodia galacifolia
1375
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: On moist slopes, creekbanks, and rock outcrops in humid escarpment gorges with high rainfall, generally in deep shade under Rhododendron maximum and R. minus, at elevations (in NC) of 350-650m, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Spring
White/Pinkish
Radially symmetrical
5 sepals barely united at base
5-lobed campanulate corolla
5 stamens & 5 very short staminodia
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p156
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p355
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p140
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p190
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p438
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p120