BELLFLOWERS 



329 



Tropical Kegions. Six species occur in Britain, several of which are also 

 cultivated. 



History "^^^ earliest gardeners in this country, who had our 



native Campanulas to fall back upon, had no lack of 

 worthy representatives of a beautiful Order, but for three hundred years 

 they have also had C. persicifolia and G. medium, the Peach-leaved 

 Bellflower and the Canterbury Bell. Most of the species of Campanu- 

 LACE^ have an abundant milky juice of an acrid character, but in spite of 

 this fact C. Eajmnculus has been long and largely grown for the sake of 

 its roots, which are boiled and eaten. G. persicifolia and G. rapmicu- 

 loides have also been cultivated for the same purpose. Both these 

 species have become naturalised in parts of Britain, and some authorities 

 regard G. Rapiincidus also as a mere escape from the garden that has 

 thriven w^ithout the gardener's help and taken up a peruuiuent position 

 among native w-ildings. These, with G. medium,, w^ere gruwn as ^anlfu 

 plants as far back as the days of Gerarde, for he enuincratis tlioni 

 among the flowers growing in his garden. We might here remark that 

 many plants to which the date 1596 or 1597 is attached as the year of 

 introduction are so marked because they are referred to in his Herhall 

 (published 1597) as growing in his garden, so that we may be certain 

 they had been introduced at some date anterior to 1597. Some to which 

 that date is attached had probably been introduced long before. This 

 by way of parenthesis. About sixty years ago it was quite the fashion 

 to grow C. pyramidaUs in pots as a sunnner ornament for the empty 

 fire-grate, and so it got its popular name of Chimney Bellflower. 

 Principaispecies. CAMPANULA Allionii (Allioni's). An alpine, with 

 creeping root, and hairy stem, 3 or 4 inches high. Loaves 

 slendcr-laiico-shaped, with fringed edges. Flow^ers large and solitary, 

 blue (occasionally white), inclined to nod; July to September. Intro- 

 duced from Piedmont, 1820. 



C. BARBATA (bearded). Stems 6 to 18 inches high. Radical leaves 

 lance-shaped, crow^ded, hairy: stem-leaves strap-shaped, scattered. 

 Flow^ers pale blue, smooth outside, w^oolly wathin the mouth ; nodding, 

 in a loose raceme; June. Introduced from Italy, 1752. Tliere is a 

 handsome w^hite-flowered var. alba. 



C. CARPATICA (Carpathian). Stems tufted, branched, 9 inches liigli, 

 leafy. Leaves heart-shaped, toothed ; upper ones more ()\al. Flowers 

 broad, blue, erect, in loose panicles; June to August. Introduced from 

 Carpathian Alps, 1774. There are several good varieties in cultivation : 

 alba differs from the type only in having pure white flowers ; pallida 

 has pale purple flowers ; twrhinata broad purple flowers, nearly 2 inches 



