''Campanula wilkinsiana'' is a rare species of
bellflower known by the common name Wilkins' bellflower.
Description
It is a
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
herb growing from a slender
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
and producing an erect or leaning stem up to about 30 centimeters long. The plant is known to form dense colonies of many individuals. The thin, toothed leaves are between 1 and 2 centimeters long. The flower is bright blue to deep purple, funnel-shaped, and just over a centimeter long. The
stigma is blue and protrudes from the mouth of the bloom.
This species was first collected by Lewanna Wilkins and named in her honor.
Distribution and habitat
It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, where it is known fewer than twenty scattered occurrences in the
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
and
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
, and possibly the northern peaks of the
High Sierra. It grows in
temperate coniferous forest
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needlel ...
and mountain meadows.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
wilkinsiana
Endemic flora of California
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