Bloomin’ Blues: Long-flowered Bluebells

Published 5:43 am Saturday, April 26, 2008

The wildflowers are still about two weeks later than usual, but more are starting to show themselves. One of these is long-flowered bluebells, which is just beginning to bloom at lower elevations in the Blue Mountains. There are several species of bluebells locally, but this is the earliest one. It is found from British Columbia and Alberta to California, Nevada, Idaho and Montana.

The entire plant is only about 5 to 12 inches high with a single stem topped by a drooping cluster of flowers. The leaves are somewhat oblong with a central main midrib and with indistinct lateral veins.

The flowers of this and other species of bluebells start out kind of pink but end up blue when they open. Such a color change is very unusual, though a few other flowers will change color after they mature and start to fade. The flowers have a long, cylindrical tube at the base and flare out in the shape of a bell at the tip.

I’m not aware of any of the bluebells being credited with medicinal value. One species is said to have edible leaves and flowers, but that is not the long-flowered bluebells.

Where to find: Look along the ground in open or lightly shaded places in the forest. They are now blooming on the North Fork Umatilla trail, and will be blooming up to middle elevations over the next two months.