Common Name: Parry's Bellflower

General Information

Campanula parryi is an erect, herbaceous perennial plant producing a cluster of stems up to 25cm tall from a rhizomatous rootstock.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Western N. America - Washington to Montana, south to Arizona and New Mexico.

Habitat

Moist sub-alpine meadows and other open places in mountains; at elevations from 2,100 - 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Campanula parryi is a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating winter temperatures down to at least -20°c[].
Prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[, ]. Plants grow and spread freely in any light soil and do well when hanging over a wall[].
The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[]. The plants are self-fertile[]. Seed is freely produced in British gardens[].
Plants are very attractive to slugs[].
Sometimes grown as an ornamental for its attractive flowers, there is at least one named variety[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

We have no specific information for this species, but Campanula leaves and flowers are generally more or less edible.

Medicinal

The root is antiphlogistic[]. A poultice made from the chewed root has been applied to bruises[].

The plant has been taken by pregnant women who desired a female child[].
The dried plant has been used as a dusting powder to treat sores[].

The chewed blossoms have been applied to the skin as a depilatory[].

Other Uses

The chewed blossoms are depilatory[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[]. 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[]. 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[]. Difficult, because the long runners do not take kindly to separation from the parent plant and are difficult to establish[].