keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

486 COLCHICACEAE/UVULARIA
free, pale yellow, promptly deciduous; stamens 6, ca. 1/3–1/2 the length of the perianth; filaments
shorter than anthers; ovary superior, 3-locular; style 1; stigmas 3; fruit a 3-angled dehiscent
capsule; seeds 1–3 per locule.
AA genus of 5 species (Nordenstam 1998; Utech & Kawano 2002) endemic to e North
America. They are rhizomatous spring-flowering herbs with arching stems, 2-ranked leaves,
and pendulous flowers. The plants vegetatively superficially resemble Polygonatum,
SOLOMON’S-SEAL (Convallariaceae, order Asparagales), but can be easily distinguished by the
free perianth parts (vs. perianth parts fused nearly to the tips in Polygonatum). Some are cultivated
as ornamentals. According to Yatskievych (1999), “Young shoots of Uvularia species have
been cooked and eaten like asparagus, and the starchy rootstocks of some species have also
been boiled and eaten.” The roots were also used as a salve for wounds and sores (Bush 2001).
Elaiosomes/arils (= external food bodies) are present on the seeds, and the seeds of at least some
species are dispersed by ants (Handel et al. 1981). The common name, BELLWORT, is probably derived
from the bell-shaped nodding flowers and the Anglo-Saxon, wyrt, a plant or herb. (Latin:
uvula, the soft anatomical structure hanging in the human throat, diminutive of uva, grape,
apparently in reference to the pendulous flowers; the plant was once thought to be a remedy for
diseases of the uvula—Shosteck 1974)
REFERENCES: Anderson & Whitaker 1934; Dietz 1952; Wilbur 1963; Kawano & Iltis 1964;
Whigham 1974; Seibert & Savidge 1991; Reveal 1992; Hawashi et al. 1998; Kudoh et al. 1999;
Bush 2001; Wijesinghe & Whigham 2001; Utech & Kawano 2002; Singhurst et al. 2003a.
1. Leaves perfoliate (= with leaf base completely surrounding the stem); flower borne on a flower
stalk (resembling a side branch) bearing a single perfoliate leaf-like bract; capsules obtusely 3angled,
� truncate (= cut off squarely) at tip, with 2 attenuate beaks on each of the 3 lobes _____ U. perfoliata
1. Leaves sessile; flower borne on a bractless flower stalk from axil of a leaf along main stem; capsules
sharply 3-angled, ellipsoid and � pointed at tip, not beaked _____________________________ U. sessilifolia
Uvularia perfoliata L., (perfoliate, with the leaf surrounding or embracing the stem), PERFOLIATE
BELLWORT, MEALY BELLWORT, LARGE BELLWORT. Plant with slender stolons in addition to short rhizome;
stems 15–40(–60) cm tall at flowering time, terete; leaves elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 3.5–
12.5 cm long, 1.5–5(–6) cm wide, perfoliate, the margins smooth; flower 1 per leafy perfoliate
bract (commonly 1 but sometimes up to several flowers per stem); perianth (10–)17–30(–37)
mm long, granular-papillose on inner surface; anthers 6–10 mm long; connectives of filaments
exserted more than 0.8 mm beyond anthers; ovary sessile; capsule 7–13(–15) mm long, truncate
apically; seeds arillate. Moist woods, hardwood bottoms and lower slopes, often in ravines or in
or near hillside seeps, acidic sandy soils or calcareous substrates; Sabine (BRIT), San Augustine
(TAMU), Shelby (TOES 1993), and Nacogdoches (Singhurst et al. 2003a) cos. in the Pineywoods;
first documented for TX by Nixon et al. (1987); se Canada and widespread in the e U.S. w to OH
and TX. Spring. A life history study of this species in North Carolina (Whigham 1974) found
that the primary pollinator was a flightless staphylinid beetle, ants dispersed the seeds, asexual
reproduction was much more important than sexual reproduction, the species was largely selfincompatible,
and growth and reproduction occurred during the “very short period of time between
the onset of favorable growing conditions and closure of the overhead canopy.” Seibert
and Savidge (1991) found that the principle pollinators of a similar species, U. grandiflora Sm.,
were queen bumblebees; they questioned Whigham’s (1974) finding concerning pollination because
“the two Uvularia species are morphologically and phenologically very similar.” The lifehistory
strategy of this species has been described as a “waiting strategy,” with predominantly
vegetative reproduction under suboptimal closed canopy conditions and both vegetative and
sexual reproduction under optimal conditions in canopy gaps (Kudoh et al. 1999). (TOES 1993:
V) � m/306
Uvularia sessilifolia L., (sessile-leaved), SESSILE-LEAF BELLWORT, SMALL BELLWORT, WILD-OATS,
STRAW-LILY. Plant with long slender rhizomes; stems 15–40(–45) cm tall at flowering time,