Common Name:

General Information

Campanula versicolor is a perennial plant growing from a fleshy rootstock that becomes woody with time. It usually overwinters with a basal rosette of leaves, producing an upright flowering stem up to 60cm tall in the summer[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and is often grown as an ornamental in gardens. This species provides some of the nicest salad leaves that we have tried to date, it has an excellent potential as an edible ornamental in the garden, though it is not really suitable for commercial cultivation[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Europe - southeast Italy, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece

Habitat

Rocky places[] in the lower wood region[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Campanula versicolor is not hardy outside the milderr areas of the temperate zone, it tolerates temperatures falling for short periods to between -5 and -10°c so long as the soil is very well drained[, ]. Plants may require protection in severe winters[], though they have proved reliable in Cornwall, southwest England (hardiness zone 8 - 9)[].
Succeeds in most fertile well-drained soils[], though it prefers a sunny position in a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil[, ]. Strongly resents winter wet[].
The plants have a basal rosette in winter and continue to grow slowly in all but the coldest weather, providing edible leaves most winters[].
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 very ornamental plant[]. It is closely related to Campanula pyramidalis, but is more reliably perennial[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. Rich in vitamin C. A delicious mild flavour with a slight sweetness that reminds people of freshly-picked garden peas - they can be added in quantity to salads and are usually available in winter[]. They are liked by most people who try them[].

Flowers - raw. Very pleasant with a slight sweetness, they make a tasty and decorative addition to salads[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

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 plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Basal cuttings in spring[]. Once they are a few years old, plants produce a number of rosettes and these can be carefully removed in the spring and used as cuttings[]. 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.
Root cuttings are said to work[]. The plant has a thick fleshy root with a number of crowns. Whilst this can be divided if great care is taken not to damage the root, it is not really recommended because the divisions take a long time to become established[].