Season: June to August
Habitat: Moist woods and embankments from the Montane to the Alpine
Height: 30-50 cm
Description: This poisonous lily has only a few basal, lily-like leaves. They clasp the stem, are smooth margined, and may twist along their length. They are upwards of 22-30 cm long. The flower stem rises erectly, may contain one or more tiny leaves, and terminates with a loose spike of dangling greenish-brown bell-like flowers on a short stalk--often sprouting from beneath a tiny leaf. The individual flowers are six parted, and 1 cm long. The roots form an oval-shaped bulb.
Flower: The distinctive bronze-bell gives this plant its name. The flowers are green to brownish-red and form a tiny bell with six tiny petals that curve backwards slightly. The flowers are at the end of short stalks (raceme). There are usually between 3 and 25 individual flower heads, each between 10-15 mm in length.
Leaf: The leaves are inconspicuous with 2 or 3 narrow, grass-like basal leaves. The individual leaves are 10-30 cm long and 3-20 mm wide.
Fruit/Seed: As the flowers mature, they are transformed into narrow 3-beaked capsules, each approximately 1-2 cm long.
Similar Species: None
Range: Bronze-bells can be found throughout the eastern and western slopes of the Rockies, from 52º N south to Montana, Idaho and California.
This highly poisonous plant should never be injested. In some native cultures, it was called nose-bleed plant because it had a reputation for causing nose-bleeds when touched.
Search for recent
Bronze Bells/Mountainbells sightings
an expert guide to help you locate