woodland wildflower

Sessile bellwort

Uvularia sessilifolia

Also known as Spreading Bellwort, Straw Lily, Wild Oats, Merrybells, Sessile-leaf Bellwort, sessileleaf bellwort

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

New Brunswick to Minnesota to the Dakotas, south to extreme northern Florida and Oklahoma, Zones 4 to 8

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for sun through shade and evenly moist soil. Its white and yellow flowers peak in May. Hardy in USDA zones 3–9.

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Find your zone:

The Sessile bellwort's white and yellow flowers bloom April to May, peaking in May. This early-spring ephemeral draws bees and flower flies.

Sessile bellwort blooms white & yellowFoliage

Bees Bradley's Mining Bee

also Tridentate Miner, Birkmann's Sweat Bee, Black-haired Miner Bee +3 more
Andrena ziziaeformis, Lasioglossum abanci, Macoupin County sweat bee
Flower flies Variable Duskyface Fly

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (35): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (3): NB, NS, ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: New Brunswick to Minnesota to the Dakotas, south to extreme northern Florida and Oklahoma, Zones 4 to 8The same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Light: Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–9 · Canadian 3–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist, rich, acidic soils. Prefers high humus and good drainageThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.

Spread: ~1 ft (0.3 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.