campanilla amarilla

Lisianthius laxiflorus Urb.

Campanilla amarilla has slender, hairless stems that branch and may have a slightly bluish cast. Urban’s original description records plants 40–70 cm tall. The flowers occur in sparse clusters of two to eight, held away from the leafy stems on slender branches. Urban (1902), Symbolae Antillanae volume 3: Lisianthius laxiflorus

Botanical name

Lisianthius laxiflorus Urb. is accepted in Gentianaceae. The supplied name matches Kew and Urban’s original 1902 description. Kew Plants of the World Online: Lisianthius laxiflorus

Recognizing the plant

Leaves are elliptical to lance-shaped, tapering into long points, and measure about 4–12 cm by 1–4 cm. Their stalks are very short. The yellow corolla is approximately 32–40 mm long: its lower half forms a narrow cylinder, widening above into a funnel. Narrow capsules follow, about 10–15 mm long but only 2–3 mm wide, containing tiny brown seeds roughly 0.3–0.4 mm across. Urban (1902), Symbolae Antillanae volume 3: Lisianthius laxiflorus

Bloom window

Puerto Rico

Urban’s 1902 account records flowering from December through June, a historical observation rather than a complete modern flowering calendar. Urban (1902), Symbolae Antillanae volume 3: Lisianthius laxiflorus

Native range

The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico records it from the western and central cordilleras, the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo, at about 475–1,300 m. The original specimens came from forest, forest margins and slopes. Kew Plants of the World Online: Lisianthius laxiflorus Urban (1902), Symbolae Antillanae volume 3: Lisianthius laxiflorus University of Puerto Rico, Flora de El Verde: Lisianthius laxiflorus

Botanical sources

Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.