Shortia galacifolia

Oconee bells

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Diapensiaceae
Genus: Shortia
Species:
S. galacifolia
Binomial name
Shortia galacifolia
Varieties
  • Shortia galacifolia var. brevistyla Davies
  • Shortia galacifolia var. galacifolia Torr. & A.Gray
Synonyms
  • Sherwoodia galacifolia (Torr. & A.Gray) House

Shortia galacifolia, the Oconee bells or acony bell, is a rare North American plant in the family Diapensiaceae found in the southern Appalachian Mountains, concentrated in the tri-state border region of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Additional populations (some of them naturalized) have been found in Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Shortia galacifolia has also been reported in Japan, as have three other species of Shortia.