XCampanula rapunculoides - Rampion bellflowerX
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Rampion bellflower -or- Creeping Bellflower -or- Rampion Harebell (Campanula rapunculoides), family Campanulaceae (Bellflower)
Big and beautiful, these cousins to the more common harebells, show off blossoms at least twice as large as their smaller peers. The lovely shade of blue-purple is just as pleasing. The plants are tall and skinny with the blooms arranged in a row along a single stalk. They are one of 38 species in the genus.
USES: Per the fine website Plants For A Future, this species is edible. Leaves and young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked and are high in vitamin C with a pleasant, if mild, flavour. The roots too can be consumed raw or cooked and are slightly sweet with a nut-like flavour. The young roots are best making a good addition to salads. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America likens the flavor to parsnips. While there are no records of Native American use of rapunculoides, they made significant use of rotundifolia. See those here. The plant has been used as a cure for hydrophobia (rabies) in Russia.
Introduced from Europe and western Siberia, many locations in North America classify the plants as invasive weeds.
See the other Campanula plant - Common Harebell - found at:
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Plant location: Sighted on July 10, 2010 at Roxborough Park Colorado. GPS coordinates: N39?25.746 W105?04.179 - Elevation: 6209'.
Rapunculoides are widespread plants found in the following United States: AK, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
The Colorado State University Plant Database lists this species as uncommonly sighted in Colorado.Plant -
Bloom season: July to September, with seeds reaching maturity August to October. Plains/Foothills dweller, in Colorado.Foliage -
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