Shortia galacifolia, the Oconee bells or acony bell, is a rare North American plant in the family Diapensiaceae found in the southern Appalachian Mountains, concentrated in the tri-state border region of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

[7] Within its small range, S. galacifolia is invariably found along rivers and in gorges where the land is sloping and shows evidence of natural or man-made disturbance: mud slides, erosion, trees knocked down by wind, logging, etc.

Shortia galacifolia often forms a dense mat that may prevent seeds of other species from embedding in the soil and germinating.

[4] Tree species and genera commonly associated with S. galacifolia are: Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock), Betula lenta (sweet birch), Acer rubrum (red maple), Liriodendron tulipifera (yellow poplar), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum), and Fagus (beech genus).

Light and soil conditions that are beneficial to S. galacifolia change to its detriment as forest canopy and understory get re-established.

[11] In Michaux's journal for December 8–11, 1788, he says he found the specimen near the headwaters of the Keowee, near where two rivers join together.

[10] A specimen of S. galacifolia was not rediscovered until May 1877 on the banks of the Catawba River in McDowell County, North Carolina by George McQueen Hyams (1861–1932).

His father, M. E. Hyams (1819–1891), collected medicinal herbs and sold them to a Baltimore, Maryland drug firm.

When a specimen was finally placed in Gray's hand as proof, he exclaimed: "Now let me sing my nunc dimittis."

He noted that because the Hyamses had waited eighteen months before contacting Congdon, they had missed the chance to have their discovery included in a new botanical book published in the meantime.

In spring 1879 Gray led an expedition, in which the Hyamses assisted, to the spot where S. galacifolia had been found.