Uvularia

Uvularia
Uvularia grandiflora
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Colchicaceae
Genus: Uvularia
L.
Type species
Uvularia perfoliata
Synonyms[1]
  • Uffenbachia Heist. ex Fabr.
  • 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.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WCSP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Oakesia conradii". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Gardens – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Kudoh, Hiroshi; Shibaike, Hiroyuki; Takasu, Hideki; Whigham, Dennis F.; Kawano, Shoichi (1999). "Gene structure and determinants of clonal structure in a temperate deciduous woodland herb, Uvularia perfoliata". Journal of Ecology. 87 (2): 244–257. Bibcode:1999JEcol..87..244K. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00355.x. S2CID 30424324.
  6. ^ Wijesinghe, Dushyantha K.; Whigham, Dennis F. (2001). "Nutrient foraging in woodland herbs: a comparison of three species of Uvularia (Liliaceae) with contrasting belowground morphologies". American Journal of Botany. 88 (6). P.O. Box 28, Edgewater, Maryland 21037 USA: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: 1071–9. doi:10.2307/2657090. JSTOR 2657090. PMID 11410472.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)