Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Campanula glomerata

Family

Campanulaceae

Flowering season

June to October

English distribution

It is found throughout most of the country but is more

common in the South and is absent from the far

Southwest and parts of the Midlands, East Anglia

and the Southeast.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland –

Clustered Bellflower

Habitat

It grows on chalk and limestone grassland.

It appears to be in decline.

Description

Clustered Bellflower is a native, perennial herb growing

up to 75cm but usually much shorter.

The flowers are in a cluster and extremely attractive.

The 5 petals are bright blue-purple, up to 25mm across

and fused at the base to form a short tube. The petals

are much longer than the tube and spread when fully

open.

The flowers are protandrous. The 5 stamens develop

in the closed flower and pass pollen onto the hairs of

the style.

When the flower opens the stamens wither and pollen

is  transfered to visiting insects searching for nectar.

The 3 linear stigmas uncurl from the style when the

flower opens.

Fruits are capsules.

The calyx has a short basal tube and 5 hairy triangular

teeth.

The leaves are up to 8cm (usually shorter), hairy,

lanceolate to ovate and clasping the stem.

The stem is hairy and green to purple-brown.