Practical
Plants

Campanula rapunculoides

Creeping Bellflower

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
1.2 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
self fertile
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked[14][6]. Rich in vitamin C. A pleasant mild flavour[K]. Root - raw or cooked[8][3][6]. A nut-like flavour, very palatable[14]. The young roots are best[14]. Somewhat sweet, they are a pleasant addition to the salad bowl[7].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The plant has been used as a cure for hydrophobia in Russia[12].

Environment

Range
Europe, north to 65°N., east to W. Asia and the Caucasus. Introduced in Britain.
Habitat
Fields and woods[2]. Naturalised in Britain where it grows in fields and more or less disturbed grassy areas such as railway banks, occasionally in woods, usually near to houses[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[4]. Easy[10]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Basal cuttings in spring[9]. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn[9]. Very easy, any part of the root will produce a new plant[10].

Cultivation

An easily grown plant succeeding in almost any soil[10], though it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[1][9]. It is slower growing and less spreading when grown in heavier soils[12]. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[9]. The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[10]. The plants are self-fertile[10]. A beautiful plant, it was at one time cultivated as a culinary plant but has fallen into disuse[13]. The plant produces a mass of thick white roots which can spread at an alarming rate, especially in light soils. It can often fill an entire bed with its tenaceous roots, killing off less vigorous plants[12]. It is best grown in the wild garden where it can be allowed to romp without harm[10][12]. Plants can also succeed when growing in thin grass[11]. Plants produce seed freely and often self-sow[10]. Slugs are very attracted to this plant, we have had great problems growing it on our Cornish trial grounds because the slugs eat out all the new shoots in spring and can kill even well-established specimens[K]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[11].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

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  3. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  4. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00

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  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Crook. H. Clifford. Campanulas - their cultivation and classification. Country Life 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  11. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩1↩2

  12. Lewis. P. & Lynch. M. Campanulas - A Gardener's Guide. B. T. Batsford. London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-7134-8266-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  13. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

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  14. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

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