The Bearded Bell-flower or 

 Campanula 



(CAMPANULA BARBATA} 



OF the numerons Bell-flowers which abound in the Alps none 

 is more quaint and beautiful than the one here photographed. 

 The whole plant, stem, leaves, and flowers, is covered with 

 short hairs, but around the mouth of the bell the hairs are 

 longer and stifFer, and pure white. It is interesting to note 

 that when cultivated in rockeries in England the hairy- 

 character of the plant almost entirely disappears. Some 

 three to five pendent flowers are borne by each flower-stalk, 

 all turned in the same direction. Occasionally a single 

 flowered variety is met with, usually at a high altitude. The 

 ordinary pale blue colour of the flower may disappear entirely, 

 and specimens with pure white blossoms are not infrequent. 

 The plant is found abundantly all over the Alps and Sub- 

 Alps, in meadows and pastures, and to a less extent in open 

 woods, from 3000 feet almost to the snowline (7000 to 

 9000 feet). It is usually less abundant on limestone than 

 on other rocks. The Bearded Bell-flower is also met with 

 in the Carpathians, Jura, southern parts of Norway, and in 

 other mountainous districts in Europe. It is probably a 

 native of the Alps. 



No difficulty will be experienced in recognising the 



54 



