Mackaya bella, called the forest bell bush, is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, and Northern Provinces) and Eswatini.
Growing to tall and broad, it is an erect, evergreen shrub with opposite arranged 4 to 5 inch long glossy, slim, elliptically-shaped dark green leaves that feature wavy margins and salient midrib and veins on the lower surface.
2 inch long, trumpet-shaped, pale lilac to lavender flowers veined in purple appear profusely in spring and early summer. The throats have noticeable deep purple veins.
The plant is not hardy below , therefore in colder temperate zones requires protection during the winter months. However, it may be placed outside in a sheltered spot in summer. It requires an alkaline or neutral soil.
It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.