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Useful Temperate Plants

Campanula medium

L.

Campanulaceae

+ Synonyms

Campanula bourdiniana Gand.

Campanula florida Salisb.

Campanula grandiflora Lam.

Marianthemum medium (L.) Schur

Medium grandiflorum Spach

Rapuntia media (L.) Chevall.

Sykoraea hortensis Opiz

Talanelis medium (L.) Raf.

Common Name: Canterbury Bells

Campanula medium
Flowers
Photograph by: Yaranko
Creative Commons License
Campanula medium Campanula medium Campanula medium Campanula medium

General Information

Campanula medium is an erect, biennial plant that can grow up to 100cm tall. The plant forms a rosette of leaves in its first year of growth and develops a thick, cylindrical rootstock. In the second year it sends up a stout, much-branched flowering stem.[
74
Title
Flora of the USSR.
Publication
 
Author
Komarov. V. L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Israel Program for Scientific Translation
Year
1968
ISBN
-
Description
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and dye. It is much grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Range

Southern Europe - France, Italy

Habitat

Railway banks in the S.E. and E. Midlands of Britain[
17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
]. Stony banks amongst calcareous rocks in Europe[
221
Title
Campanulas - their cultivation and classification.
Publication
 
Author
Crook. H. Clifford.
Publisher
Country Life
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Biennial
Height1.20 m
PollinatorsBees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Campanula medium is only somewhat cold tolerant, able to withstand winter temperatures down to around -10
Succeeds in most fertile well-drained soils[
233
Title
Perennial Garden Plants
Publication
 
Author
Thomas. G. S.
Publisher
J. M. Dent & Sons, London.
Year
1990
ISBN
0 460 86048 8
Description
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
], though it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
A very ornamental plant, it is often grown in the flower garden and there are many named varieties[
17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[
221
Title
Campanulas - their cultivation and classification.
Publication
 
Author
Crook. H. Clifford.
Publisher
Country Life
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
]. The plants are self-fertile[
221
Title
Campanulas - their cultivation and classification.
Publication
 
Author
Crook. H. Clifford.
Publisher
Country Life
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
]. Plants usually self-sow in British gardens[
221
Title
Campanulas - their cultivation and classification.
Publication
 
Author
Crook. H. Clifford.
Publisher
Country Life
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[
233
Title
Perennial Garden Plants
Publication
 
Author
Thomas. G. S.
Publisher
J. M. Dent & Sons, London.
Year
1990
ISBN
0 460 86048 8
Description
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
].

Edible Uses

Young shoots - raw or cooked[
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. Seasoned with oil and vinegar, then eaten as a salad[
74
Title
Flora of the USSR.
Publication
 
Author
Komarov. V. L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Israel Program for Scientific Translation
Year
1968
ISBN
-
Description
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Root - cooked[
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].

Medicinal

The plant has at times been used in folk medicine[
74
Title
Flora of the USSR.
Publication
 
Author
Komarov. V. L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Israel Program for Scientific Translation
Year
1968
ISBN
-
Description
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Other Uses

Green and pale blue dyes are obtained from the flowers[
168
Title
Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Grae. I.
Publisher
MacMillan Publishing Co. New York.
Year
1974
ISBN
0-02-544950-8
Description
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in an outdoor seedbed in May, the seedlings are transplanted when large enough and then placed in their final positions in the autumn[
221
Title
Campanulas - their cultivation and classification.
Publication
 
Author
Crook. H. Clifford.
Publisher
Country Life
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[
138
Title
Growing from Seed. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Bird. R. (Editor)
Publisher
Thompson and Morgan.
Year
1989
ISBN
-
Description
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
].
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-10-06. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Campanula+medium>

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