Clustered bellflower
Encyclopedia
Campanula glomerata, common name Clustered Bellflower or Dane's Blood, is a species
of the genus
Campanula
, belonging to the family Campanulaceae
. It is the county flower
of Rutland
, England
.
plant growing to a height of 20–60 cm (7.9–23.6 ), with a maximum of 90 centimetres (35.4 in). The stem is simple, erect and shortly pubescent, basal leaves are petiolated, oval-lanceolate and lightly heart-shaped (cordate), while cauline leaves are lanceolate, sessile and amplexicaul. The inflorescence is formed by 15-20 sessile, actinomorphic and hermaphrodite
single flowers of about 2 to 3 cm. They are in terminal racemes or in the axils of upper leaves, surrounded by an involucre of bracts. The corolla is campanulate and pubescent with five dark violet-blue or purplish-blue petals. Flowering period is from June to September.
, Anatolia
and Siberia
. In Europe
is present almost everywhere. In North America
the plant is naturalized.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Campanula
Campanula
Campanula is one of several genera in the family Campanulaceae with the common name bellflower. It takes its name from their bell-shaped flowers—campanula is Latin for "little bell"....
, belonging to the family Campanulaceae
Campanulaceae
The family Campanulaceae , of the order Asterales, contains about 2000 species in 70 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky non-toxic sap...
. It is the county flower
County flowers of the United Kingdom
The following are the flowers selected for the historic counties of the United Kingdom in Plantlife's 2002 "County Flowers" campaign...
of Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Etymology
The etymology of this plant is quite intuitive: the genus Latin name (“campanula”), meaning small bell, refers to the bell-shape of the flower, while the specific name ("glomerata") refers to the tight grouping of the flowers at the top of the stem.Description
Campanula glomerata is a perennial herbaceousHerbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
plant growing to a height of 20–60 cm (7.9–23.6 ), with a maximum of 90 centimetres (35.4 in). The stem is simple, erect and shortly pubescent, basal leaves are petiolated, oval-lanceolate and lightly heart-shaped (cordate), while cauline leaves are lanceolate, sessile and amplexicaul. The inflorescence is formed by 15-20 sessile, actinomorphic and hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
single flowers of about 2 to 3 cm. They are in terminal racemes or in the axils of upper leaves, surrounded by an involucre of bracts. The corolla is campanulate and pubescent with five dark violet-blue or purplish-blue petals. Flowering period is from June to September.
Distribution
The species is native to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
is present almost everywhere. In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
the plant is naturalized.
Habitat
This plant can be found in forests or dry grasslands, in scrub and open woodland, in grassy but not too wet places, in the edges of woods and along the margins of roads and trails. It prefers calcareous soils, at an altitude up to 1500 m above sea level.Synonyms
- Campanula aggregata Willd. ex Schlecht. (1813) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula cervicarioides Schultes in Roemer & Schultes (1819) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. cervicarioide)
- Campanula congesta Schultes in Roemer & Schultes (1819) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula farinosa Andrz. in Besser (1821) ( synonym = C. glomerata subsp. farinosa)
- Campanula glaucophylla Schlosser & Vukot. (1875) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. farinosa)
- Campanula pusilla DC non Haenke (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula speciosa Hornem. (1815) non Pourret (1788) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
Cultivars and Varieties
Campanula glomerata has many cultivars of varying colours, such as 'Superba', 'Bellefleur', and 'Acaulis'. The following incomplete list presents some of the varieties with their synonyms.- Campanula glomerata subsp. aggregata (Willd.) Kirschleger (1851) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula glomerata subsp. cervicarioides (R. & S) P.Fourn.
- Campanula glomerata subsp. congesta (Roemer & Schultes) Schubler & Martens (1834) ( synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula glomerata subsp. elliptica (Kit.) O.Schwarz
- Campanula glomerata subsp. farinosa (Rochel) Kirschleger (1851)
- Campanula glomerata subsp. glomerata:
- Campanula glomerata subsp. serotina (Wettst.) O.Schwarz
- Campanula glomerata subsp. speciosa Kirschleger (1851)
- Campanula glomerata var. aggregata (Willd.) Koch (1846) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula glomerata var. congesta (Roemer & Schultes) Rouy (1908) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. glomerata)
- Campanula glomerata var. farinosa (Andrz.) Koch (1846) (synonym = C. glomerata subsp. farinosa