# rough-fruited fairybells (*Prosartes trachycarpa*)

Rough-fruited fairybells are delicate plants with pretty, bell-shaped flowers. They grow in shady, moist places and are a lovely sight in the forest.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Forests

![rough-fruited fairybells](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/SK-Fairybells.JPG&width=800)

Photo: SriMesh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SK-Fairybells.JPG)

## Appearance

The rough-fruited fairybells has delicate, bell-shaped flowers that hang downwards, usually creamy white to pale yellow. Its oblong leaves are green, and its distinctive orange-red berries are covered in tiny, stiff hairs, giving them a rough texture unlike smooth-fruited relatives.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Liliales
- **Family:** Liliaceae
- **Genus:** Prosartes

## Interesting facts

- After its bright orange berries ripen, the whole plant might vanish until next spring!
- Indigenous peoples sometimes cooked and ate the rough-textured orange berries as a unique treat!
- Its scientific name, Prosartes, cleverly means "to hang down," describing its bell-shaped flowers!
- The rough-fruited fairybells is a wild cousin to the famous lily flower family!

## Special abilities

- **Sticky Seed Spreader:** Rough-fruited fairybells has fuzzy berries that can stick to passing animals, helping spread its seeds far and wide to new growing spots.
- **Underground Traveler:** This plant has strong underground stems (rhizomes) that allow it to spread and create new plants without needing seeds.
- **Shade Dweller:** Its broad leaves can efficiently capture sunlight even in dim forest understories, letting it thrive where other plants struggle.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-70 cm
- **Spread:** 30-45 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Western Bumblebee (*Bombus vosnesenskii*) — Drinks nectar from its bell-like flowers.
- **Eats:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — Consumes its orange, rough-textured berries.
- **Eats:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Browses on its tender leaves and stems.

## Traits

- [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell.
- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Don't touch or pick plants without asking an adult first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify rough-fruited fairybells?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is rough-fruited fairybells?

30-70 cm

### How wide does rough-fruited fairybells spread?

30-45 cm

### How big are the flowers on rough-fruited fairybells?

1-2 cm

### When does rough-fruited fairybells bloom?

Late spring to early summer

### Is rough-fruited fairybells edible?

No

### Is rough-fruited fairybells toxic?

Mild

### What is rough-fruited fairybells's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

---

Source: [Rough-fruited Fairybells: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rough-fruited-fairybells)