The photo at right show bronze
bells from Hamilton Mt. in the Columbia River Gorge.
Bronze bells are attractive perennial wildflower with slender, weak stems from 10-40 cm high arising from an ovoid bulb about 2-4 cm long. The several basal leaves are grass-like, measuring 15-30 cm long and from 6-15 mm wide. The leaves narrow gradually to a point at both ends. The stems have 1-2 reduced leaves.
The inflorescence consists of a loose raceme or occasionally a panicle from 10-20 cm long. The flowers are borne on slender pedicels from 8-30 cm long. Short bracts subtend the pedicels. The 6 greenish-yellow, reddish or reddish-green tepals form a tube, and individually are linear in shape. They measure from 1.5-2 cm long and have tips flared outwards and back.
Bronze bells may be found in on rocky slopes, including wet cliffs, in rock crevices and in mountain meadows and thickets. It is largely a plant of subalpine to alpine habitats but is found near sea level in the Columbia River Gorge and Olympic Peninsula.
Bronze bells may be found from British Columbia south to northern California and east to Alberta, and south into Montana and Idaho.
In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found between the elevations of 100'-4000' from Troutdale, OR east towards the Little White Salmon River.
