''Campanula medium'', common name Canterbury bells, is an

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

of the genus '' Campanula'', belonging to the family

Campanulaceae The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species in 84 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky sap. Among them are several familiar garden plants belo ...

. In

floriography Floriography (language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in tradition ...

, it represents gratitude, or faith and constancy.

Etymology

The specific epithet ''medium'' means that this plant has intermediate characteristics in respect of other species of the genus '' Campanula''. In Persian, it is called () meaning "glass flower", because the flower resembles a drinking glass.

Description

''Campanula medium'' reaches approximately in height. This biennial herbaceous plant forms rosettes of leaves in the first year, stems and flowers in the second one. The stem is erect, robust, reddish-brown and bristly hairy. The basal leaves are stalked and

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

elliptical Elliptical may mean: * having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape ** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape ** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform * characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...

and long with serrated leaf edge. The upper leaves are smaller, lanceolate and

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

, almost embracing the stem. The flowers are arranged in a

racemose A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

of extremely long-lasting blooms. These attractive bell-shaped flowers are short-stalked, large and

hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have s ...

, with different shades of violet-blue or rarely white. The corolla has five fused petals with lightly bent lobes (known as a coronate flower type). The flowering period extends from May to July in the Northern Hemisphere. The flowers are either self-fertilized (

autogamy Autogamy, or self-fertilization, refers to the fusion of two gametes that come from one individual. Autogamy is predominantly observed in the form of self-pollination, a reproductive mechanism employed by many flowering plants. However, species o ...

) or pollinated by insects such as bees and butterflies ( entomogamy). The seeds ripen from August to September and are dispersed by gravity alone ( barochory).

Distribution

''Campanula medium'' originates in southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. It is naturalized in most of European countries and in North America and it is widely cultivated for its beautiful flowers.

Habitat

It grows on stony, rocky and bushy slopes, at an altitude of above sea level.

Gardening

In gardens, they are best in massed planting in borders or among shrubs. It prefers cool or warm zones; not suitable for the tropics or hot, dry regions. Seeds take 14–21 days to germinate. The plant thrives in lightly shaded to sunny locations in well-drained soil. Canterbury bells grows nicely in flower beds, borders, and containers. Keep well watered.

Uses

This flower works well cut in floral arrangements. Beekeepers sometimes use the Canterbury Bell for making potently sweet honey.

Gallery

File:Campanulaceae - Campanula medium-3.JPG, Flowers of ''Campanula medium'' File:Campanulaceae - Campanula medium-2.JPG, Close up of a flower of ''Campanula medium'' File:Campanulaceae - Campanula medium-7.JPG, Close up of a flowers of ''Campanula medium'' File:Campanulaceae - Campanula medium-5.JPG, Blossom of ''Campanula medium'' File:Campanulaceae - Campanula medium-6.JPG, Blossom of ''Campanula medium'' File:Campanula medium flowers.JPG, ''Campanula medium'' var. ''alba''

Cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s

*''Campanula medium'' 'Alba' *''Campanula medium'' 'Bells of Holland' *''Campanula medium'' 'Caerulea' *''Campanula medium'' 'Calycanthema' *''Campanula medium'' 'Champion Blue (dark flowers) *''Campanula medium'' 'Champion lavender' (light purple flowers) *''Campanula medium'' 'Champion Pink' (pink flowers) *''Campanula medium'' 'Chelsea Pink' (pink flowers) *''Campanula medium'' 'Muse Rose' *''Campanula medium'' 'Rosea' *''Campanula medium'' 'Russian Pink'

References

* * Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982, Vol. II, pag. 682

External links

* * *, one of the Flowers of Loveliness for 1838 with an illustration (Canterbury Bell) by Louisa Sharpe combined with poetry by

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...

.
Biolib

Plants

Campanula medium
{{Taxonbar, from=Q127555

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane *Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus