Oconee bell flower (Shortia galacifolia)

Today we braved the rain and went for a stroll inThe Botanical Gardens at Asheville, North Carolina. It was a chilly late February day, but we were richly rewarded with the first Oconee Bell flowers of the season!

Normally flowering from mid-March to April, we had just come off a long warm stretch and here they were. In fact, the beautiful and rare Oconee Bells flower (Shortia galacifolia) is one of the first native wildflowers to bloom each spring.

Oconee Bells, aka Acony Bell flower

Found only in a few counties in the southern Appalachian Mountains in a very limited range, the Oconee bell flower is a rare wildflower and hard to find in the wild. But if you get to the right spot this native wildflower can be locally abundant. We’ve included a list at the end of this article of places where you can see this beautiful wildflower.

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The plant is considered endangered and may not be collected in the wild. 

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Oconee Bells are the perfect ground cover in a shade garden or in a woodland setting in their native range. Their beautiful foliage turns a reddish bronze hue in the winter months.

Life History

Oconee Bells reproduce by seed as well as by the spread of horizontal stems creeping across the ground, rooting at nodes, and producing new plants.

Its flowers are pollinated by bees. The seeds of Oconee Bells are dispersed downslope by gravity and germinate best in patches of bare soil produced by disturbances such as small landslides or tree blowdowns.

Oconee Bells take a few years to mature and will not flower until they are four or more years old. They produce a single 1-inch white to pinkish bloom in early spring. The wildflower literature notes that they flower middle march / early April, but we’ve seen Oconee Bells flowering in Asheville as early as February 25.

Where are Oconee Bells native to?

Oconee Bells are native to a small part of the southern Appalachians. They are only found in a few counties in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Alabama: DeKalb
Georgia: Rabun
South Carolina: Oconee, Pickens, Greenville
North Carolina: Macon, Swain, Jackson, Transylvania, Buncombe, McDowell, Burke, Avery.

Where can I buy Oconee Bells?

I have tried to find Oconee Bells for sale but I haven’t been successful. I’ll update the post when I find a nursery that sells them.

The Oconee Bell festival

The BellFest, as it’s known, is a day full of music, talks, kids activities, food trucks, local vendors, and guided trail walks to celebrate this rare wild flower.

In 2023, the festival is on the 18th of March from 10 to 3 at Devils State Fork Park.

More information on BellFest visit the Friends of Jocassee website here.