Taxon Report

Mertensia bella Piper

Oregon bluebells

Print Report

Dan Post (1997)

Taxon Summary

Mertensia bella, commonly known as Oregon bluebells, is a perennial herb in the Boraginaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1500 to 2000 meters. Mertensia bella is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Mertensia bella Piper
Common Name:	Oregon bluebells
Family:	Boraginaceae
Element Code:	PDBOR0N040
USDA Plants Symbol:	MEBE
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jul	May-Jul
Elevation:	1500-2000 (4920-6560)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Disturbed areas (often), Mesic, Openings (often)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.2 to 2B.2 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	2
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	2

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Siskiyou (SIS)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Broken Rib Mtn. (4112386), Polar Bear Mtn. (4112385)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Sensitive in ID, and on review list in OR. See Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 31:76 (1918) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

USFS Potential Species of Conservation Concern Profile

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 26 October 2025].