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Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Shortia galacifolia   FAMILY Diapensiaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia   FAMILY Diapensiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Shortia galacifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Shortia brevistyla ... (Diapensiaceae), a narrow endemic from the headwaters of the Catawba River in NC (Gaddy et al., 2019)

Shortia galacifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8 (2009)

Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Shortia galacifolia var. 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.

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Steve Marlow    snm079901_05

January    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Ben Geer Keys    bgk1375_c

March        

Flowers solitary on scapes up to 6" long, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Jim Fowler    jaf_shortiagalacifolia02

March    Pickens County    SC

Devils Fork State Park

The rare, pink form.

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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.


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Galax and Oconee Bells

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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).

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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).

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Keith Bradley    kab_s_galacifolia_1110

March    Oconee County    SC

Devils Fork State Park

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_s_galacifolia_oconee

March        

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_shortia_galacifolia_2

March        

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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).

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Jim Fanning    jcf_shortia1

April    Pickens County    SC

SC Botanical Garden

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

JK Marlow    jkm100402_024

April    Oconee County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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.

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Ron Lance    rwl_shortia

April        

In cultivation

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

Steve Marlow    snm100402_r111_41

April    Oconee County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

JK Marlow    jkm0305za_03

May    Buncombe County    NC

Botanical Gardens at Asheville

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

JK Marlow    jkm080507_037

May    Greenville County    SC

In cultivation

Style 12-18mm long. Fruit a capsule, per Flora of North America.

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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).

image of Shortia galacifolia, Oconee Bells, Southern Shortia

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 (4/14/23):
Shortia galacifolia   FAMILY Diapensiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia   FAMILY Diapensiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Shortia galacifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Shortia brevistyla ... (Diapensiaceae), a narrow endemic from the headwaters of the Catawba River in NC (Gaddy et al., 2019)
Shortia galacifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8
Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Shortia galacifolia var. 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

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

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

Rare in Mountains (waifs elsewhere in GA-NC-SC, where escaped from cultivation)

map
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!



 


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