2 New Books ** Edible Plants: An inspirational guide to choosing and growing unusual edible plants and Woodland Gardening (Forest) [Paperback]. more >>
Search Page Content
   Bookmark and Share
   
    By donating to PFAF, you can help support and expand our activities
    Plant Suppliers: Click here for a List
Campanula latifolia - L.                
                 
Common Name Large Campanula
Family Campanulaceae
Synonyms
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Woodlands, lush meadows and hedgerows, frequently on slightly acid soils[1, 5, 31, 271].
Range Much of Europe, including Britain, north to Norway east to Siberia and W. Asia.
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full shade Semi-shade

Summary       

Physical Characteristics       
 icon of manicon of flower
Campanula latifolia is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in).
It is hardy to zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self.The plant is self-fertile.


Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers dry or moist soil.
Campanula latifolia Large Campanula


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Campanula_latifolia_Sturm61.jpg
Campanula latifolia Large Campanula
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Campanula_aa.jpg
   
Habitats       
Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Hedgerow; North Wall. In. East Wall. In.
Edible Uses                                         
Edible Parts: Flowers;  Leaves;  Root.
Edible Uses:

Young shoots - raw or cooked[5, 177]. Contains up to 400mg% of vitamin C[174]. Root - raw[74]. This report is rather vague and needs further investigation. Flowers - raw or cooked. A pleasant sweetness[K].
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.

Emetic.

The flowers are emetic[61].
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details                                         
A very robust plant, capable of succeeding in the wild garden and tolerating considerable neglect[271]. It succeeds in most fertile well-drained soils[233], though it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[1, 200]. Prefers a humus-rich soil in shade or partial shade[271]. Grows well in cool moist woodlands with light shade where it can spread freely[1]. Plants occasionally grow in old walls[219] and also succeed in the dry shade of trees[233]. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[200]. 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]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233]. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[187]. The species can be quite invasive, though most of the cultivars that have been selected for flower colour are less rampant[271].
                                                                                 
Propagation                                         
Seed - surface sow in spring in a cold frame. Three or four weeks pre-chilling of the seed improves the germination rate[138]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[138]. 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. The seed can also be sown outdoors in situ during the spring. Basal cuttings in spring[1]. 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[111]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.
Plant Suppliers: Click here for a List

      You can download this page as a PDF

Expert comment                                         
 
      
Author                                         
L.
                                                                                 
Botanical References                                         
17200
                                                                                 
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
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
[31]Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.
[61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[74]Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR.
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.
[111]Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials.
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
[138]Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3.
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
[174]Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.
[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[219]Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
[221]Crook. H. Clifford. Campanulas - their cultivation and classification.
The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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.
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 comment                                         
 
QR Code

What's this?

This is a QR code (short for Quick Response) which gives fast-track access to our website pages. QR Codes are barcodes that can be read by mobile phone (smartphone) cameras. This QR Code is unique to this page. All plant pages have their own unique code. For more information about QR Codes click here.
1. Copy and print the QR code to a plant label, poster, book, website, magazines, newspaper etc and even t-shirts.
2. Smartphone users scan the QR Code which automatically takes them to the webpage the QR Code came from.
3. Smartphone users quickly have information on a plant directly for the pfaf.org website on their phone.
Rate This Plant                                         
Please rate this plants for how successful you have found it to be. You will need to be logged in to do this. Our intention is not to create a list of 'popular' plants but rather to highlight plants that may be rare and unusual and that have been found to be useful by website users. This hopefully will encourage more people to use plants that they possibly would not have considered before.
     
                                                                                 
Add a comment/link                                         

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at admin@pfaf.org. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

Subject : Campanula latifolia  
             

Links To add a link to another website with useful info add the details here
Name of Site
URL of Site
Details

                                        
                                                                                 
                                                                                 
   
 

All the information contained in these pages is Copyright (C) Plants For A Future, 1996-2012.
Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567,
Web Design & Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Some information cannot be used for commercial reasons or be modified (but some can). Please view the copyright link for more information.