Herb: Adria Bellflower


Latin name: Campanula portenschlagiana


Synonyms: Campanula muralis


Family: Campanulaceae (Bellflower Family)



Edible parts of Adria Bellflower:

Leaves - raw or cooked. The leaves are rather small, but they are produced all year round. They have a mild flavour and make an acceptable ingredient in mixed salads, especially in the winter, but we find that, eaten in quantity, they become a bit unpleasant. Flowers - raw. Very freely produced, they have a pleasant flavour and make a very decorative addition to salads.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
25 cm
(9 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
July to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Naturalized on walls and rocky banks in central and southern England.

Other uses of Adria Bellflower:

A rampantly spreading plant, suitable for ground cover in a sunny position.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. 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. 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, the plant can be divided at almost any time of the year.

Cultivation of Adria Bellflower:

Naturalized on walls and rocky banks in central and southern England.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Campanula portenschlagiana:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.