Bluebell - Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Description

Height up to 30 cm. Flowers violet blue, occasionally pinkish or white, nodding tubular bells 14 to 20 mm long, borne in a one sided raceme drooping towards the tip. Leaves 3 to 6 linear-lanceolate. The anthers are creamy white in this species.

Similar Species

The hybrid with Spanish Bluebell is becoming more common and is easily confused. Spanish Bluebell has blue anthers and a more trumpet-shaped flower. The native Bluebell has flowers that are more tubular and parallel-sided. The two species hybridise - see our page for Hybrid Bluebell for details.

Identification difficulty
ID guidance

Narrow leaves, anthers cream, raceme drooping at tip, flowers tubular (parallel-sided) and with strongly recurved petals. 

Recording advice

Photo of the flowering plant in its habitat, plus closeup of flower and stamens (a side-on view of some flowers is helpful).  Plants in currently or previously wooded habitats are likely to be this. Photos in leaf or of seed-heads cannot be accepted. (RPR)

Habitat

Woods, sometimes in shady ditches, etc.

When to see it

April to June.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Common and widespread throughout Britain.

VC55 Status

Common in suitable locations in Leicestershire and Rutland.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as native, woodland; usually on at least moderately acid soils, locally abundant.

It is listed on the current VC55 Rare Plant Register (Hall and Woodward 2022) because of its legal protection

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Bluebell, Wild Hyacinth
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Asparagales
Family:
Asparagaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
360
First record:
16/04/1981 (Patricia Evans)
Last record:
25/03/2024 (Gaten, Ted)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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