Common Name: Creeping Bellflower

General Information

Campanula rapunculoides is a herbaceous perennial plant with a thick, branching root that sometimes produces long underground shoots. It produces a cluster of erect, usually unbranched stems around 30 - 100cm tall, and can spread very freely when well-suited to the site[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food - it has in the past been cultivated as a root crop and is still grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eurasia - Norway to Spain, through Russia and Greece to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Turkey

Habitat

Fields and woods[]. 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[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.20 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Campanula rapunculoides is a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating winter temperatures falling to at least -20°c[].
An easily grown plant succeeding in almost any soil[], though it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[, ]. It is slower growing and less spreading when grown in heavier soils[].
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[].
A beautiful plant, it was at one time cultivated as a culinary plant but has fallen into disuse[].
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[]. It is best grown in the wild garden where it can be allowed to romp without harm[, ]. Plants can also succeed when growing in thin grass[]. Plants produce seed freely and often self-sow[].
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[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked[, ]. Rich in vitamin C. A pleasant mild flavour[].

Root - raw or cooked[, , ]. A nut-like flavour, very palatable[]. The young roots are best[]. Somewhat sweet, they are a pleasant addition to the salad bowl[].

Medicinal

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

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[]. Easy[]. 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[]. Very easy, any part of the root will produce a new plant[].