Images: ©Jouko Lehmuskallio
Spreading Bellflower
Campanula patula
- Family: Bellflower Family – Campanulaceae
- Growing form: Biennial herb. Taproot short, strong.
- Height: 25–80 cm (10–32 in.). Stem usu. much-branched, somewhat hairy, lower part reddish.
- Flower: Corolla bell-shaped, 20–25 mm (0.8–1 in.) long. Petals 5, united, violet (rarely white). Sepals 5, united, sharp-pointed, spreading. Stamens 5. Pistil of 3 fused carpels, style solitary, stigma 3-lobed. Inflorescence branched, corymbose.
- Leaves: Basal leaves short-stalked, blade oblanceolate. Stem leaves alternate, few, stalkless, linear. Margins of all leaves entire or crenate.
- Fruit: An erect capsule.
- Habitat: Meadows, field margins, roadsides, fallows, waste grounds.
- Flowering time: June–September.
The genus Campanula contains some 300 species. Many of the species are native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, and to the Mediterranean region. They are usually perennial herbs which contain latex.
The spreading bellflower is a typical biennial of waysides. It forms a leaf rosette and a strong taproot in the first season. In the following summer the branching stem is developed. The flower is more purple and narrower at the base than, for instance, that of the harebell (C. rotundifolia). The spreading bellflower thrives on relatively poor ground and the soil can vary from clay to sand.
