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Campanula rapunculus - L.

Rampion

Author	L.	Botanical references	200
Family	Campanulaceae	Genus	Campanula
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe - Mediterranean. Introduced in Britain[17].
Habitat	Hedgerows, woodland edges, fields etc[9], usually on gravelly soils in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.9m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Meadow; Hedgerow; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Root - raw or cooked[2, 5, 33, 37, 100, 183]. A very nice sweet flavour[27], reminiscent of walnuts[2]. They are best mixed with other root vegetables and used in winter salads[2, 9]. Leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb[2, 5, 9, 27, 33, 37, 100, 183]. A fairly bland flavour, with a hint of sweetness, they are quite acceptable raw in salads[K]. The leaves are rich in vitamin C, they make an acceptable winter salad[4]. Young shoots in spring can be blanched and cooked like asparagus[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily cultivated plant, it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[1, 4, 200], though it succeeds in most good soils[4]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.5. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[200]. Plants often self-sow in the garden[271]. The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[221]. The plants are self-fertile[221]. Rampion was formerly often cultivated for its edible root, though it has fallen into virtual disuse[4]. When grown for its edible root, the plant should not be allowed to flower[4]. Plants can be grown in a meadow[200]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow May/June in situ. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[138].

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

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

[221] Crook. H. Clifford. Campanulas - their cultivation and classification. Country Life 1951
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[271] Lewis. P. & Lynch. M. Campanulas - A Gardener's Guide. B. T. Batsford. London. 1998 ISBN 0-7134-8266-4
Very readable account of almost 150 members of the genus, together with their hybrids and cultivars, that are more commonly grown in gardens. Excellent photographs of many of the species.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Campanula rapunculus

E. Spann Fri Jul 2 23:41:52 2004

Campanula Trachelium was not found on this site...

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