Campanula jfamili?. 



Harebell. Campcmula rotundifolia. 



Found during July and August in rocky soil, along roadside 

 thickets ; in damp shade, or on exposed and barren uplands. 



The stems of this lovely plant are very slender, like leafy wands, 

 from 10 to 16 inches in height; they are firm and fine in fibre, smooth 

 and shining, and bronzy-green. 



The grass-like leaf is about an inch long, fine and thin and smooth ; 

 its color betrays the violet hues that temper all the green parts of 

 the plant. 



The blossom varies in size rather noticeably. Its corolla is shaped 

 like a bell with 5 small pointed tips which curve outward to show 

 the long lavender pistil with its malachite-green tip ; the texture of the 

 bell is delicately thin and yet firm, and the color an exquisite violet, 

 which ranges from pale lavender, or even almost white, to a reddish- 

 purple hue. The green calyx is 5-parted, its divisions very slender, 

 half as long as the bell, and clinging closely to its shape. The many 

 blossoms nod on thread-like stems. 



In early spring the Harebell plant consists of a tuffet of small, 

 round, slightly notched leaves, on spreading stems ; these mostly disap- 

 pear when the flowering stems begin to rise. In part, the swajnng, 

 flexile grace of gesture belonging to these flowers may be due to the 

 light way in which the bells are caught in their tiny calices. When 

 advanced in maturity the pistil becomes 3-parted and loses its vivid 

 green tip. The Harebell is commonly credited with a love of shade, 

 but it is frequently found in the crevices of exposed rock-ledges ; and a 

 favorite haunt, in one instance, is a bare mountain ridge, covered only 

 by thick dry gray mosses, where these lovely bells nod amidst the 

 Ebony Pern leaves {A. eheneum), in thrifty vigor under the broad 

 sunlight. 



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