Remarks upon the Campanula, or Bell -Flower. 23 



REMARKS UPON THE CAMPANULA, OR BELL-FLOWER. 



Part I. 



By Joseph Breck, Ex-President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Campanula, from campana, "a bell," the shape of the flower. This genus 

 embraces a large number of species, most of them ornamental, and suitable 

 for the flower-borcler. They are mostly hardy perennials, with a few annu- 

 als and biennials. 



One of the finest annuals is Campanula Zoreyi (Lorey's Bell-Flower), 

 named by Pollini in compliment to Dr. Lorey, who originally discovered 

 the plant on Mount Baldo, in the Veronese. It has been since observed 

 in other parts of Italy. The plant was introduced into England in 1825. 

 It is a hardy annual of easy culture, thriving in almost any kind of soil, 

 and ripening its seeds freely in the open border, where the plant may be oc- 

 casionally left to sow itself, as is practised with many other annuals, such as 

 Silene, Delphinium, &:c. Grown in patches, or as an edging to flower-bor- 

 ders, it is highly ornamental, from its dwarf and slender habit, and large, 

 expanded blossoms of a deep-blue color or pure white, two inches in diam- 

 eter, which continue to be produced in succession throughout the summer 

 and autumn months. A dwarf plant nine inches high. 



Campanula spcculu7n (Venus's Looking-Glass). This is another annual 

 species, of a dwarf, spreading habit, about six inches high, with white or 

 blue flowers, produced in succession through the season. The specific 

 name, speculum, is so called because the corolla in its form resembles 

 a little round and elegant mirror {speculum) ; whence in English it is called 

 Venus's Looking-Glass. It is desirable only in large collections, as the 

 flowers are diminutive in size, however elegant it may be in structure, 

 or fine in color. There are so many ornamental plants of much richer ap- 

 pearance, that it is hardly worth its room in a small collection of plants 

 in a limited space. 



I am acquainted with only one more annual species in this class ; although 

 there are others named by botanists, which, as they have not been intro- 

 duced to florists, are not probably worthy of a place in the flower-garden. 



Campanula pentagonia (Five-angled Campanula). This is a hardy an- 



