Korean fairy bells is a woodland perennial whose bright yellow bells nod from the stem tips in early spring. It is native to Korea and China, not the US, but it is grown in American shade gardens and is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. It is often sold under its older name, Disporum flavens.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A clump-forming perennial that spreads slowly by underground stems. In the wild it stands about 12–24 in (30–60 cm) tall; in gardens it can reach about 2–3 ft (60–90 cm), and a clump may grow to about 2 ft (60 cm) across over ten years.
- Leaves
- Glossy green, oval to elliptical leaves with clear parallel veins, attached directly to the stem without a stalk.
- Flowers
- Bright yellow, tubular bells about 1 in (2–2.5 cm) long hang in groups of one to three at the branch tips.
- Flowering time
- Early spring; in Arkansas it blooms in early April, about as the shoots come up.
- Fruit
- Round black berries about 0.4 in (1 cm) across ripen in midsummer.
Look-alikes
Large-flowered bellwortUvularia grandiflora
Bellwort leaves wrap around the stem at the base, so the stem seems to pierce right through each leaf. Korean fairy bells leaves simply sit on the stem without a stalk.
Why they get mixed upThis native wildflower of the eastern and central US also hangs yellow bells in moist spring woods and looks very much like Korean fairy bells.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Mountain forests
- Shade gardens
- Range
- Native to the mountains of central and southern Korea and to northeastern through central China. It is not native to the US and is found here only in gardens.
- Preferred conditions
- In gardens it does best in partial to full shade and moist, rich, well-drained woodland soil; shade keeps the leaves from scorching.
- Flowering
Flowers Apr
Flowers Apr
Growing it
- Care
- Easy and trouble-free in shade and woodland gardens, USDA zones 5–8. It can be divided in early spring before new growth starts.
- Propagation
- Spreads by underground stems; gardeners usually increase it by division.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Long known as Disporum flavens, and once treated as a variety or subspecies of Japanese fairy bells (Disporum sessile).
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.