Herb: Large Campanula


Latin name: Campanula latifolia


Family: Campanulaceae (Bellflower Family)



Medicinal use of Large Campanula:

The flowers are emetic.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
150 cm
(5 feet)

Flowering:
July to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Woodlands, lush meadows and hedgerows, frequently on slightly acid soils.

Edible parts of Large Campanula:

Young shoots - raw or cooked. Contains up to 400mg% of vitamin C. Root - raw. This report is rather vague and needs further investigation. Flowers - raw or cooked. A pleasant sweetness.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - surface sow in spring in a cold frame. Three or four weeks pre-chilling of the seed improves the germination rate. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°C. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed can also be sown outdoors in situ during the spring. Basal cuttings in spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.

Cultivation of Large Campanula:

Woodlands, lush meadows and hedgerows, frequently on slightly acid soils.

Known hazards of Campanula latifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.