Bellflower (Campanula americana)
- Family: Bellflower (Campanulaceae)
- Flowering: June-October.
- Field Marks: Members of the genus Campanula
have 5 sepals, 5 united petals, 5 stamens, an inferior ovary,
and alternate leaves. Campanula americana is the only
species that has a flattened instead of a bell-shaped corolla.
- Habitat: Moist woods, damp thickets.
- Habit: Annual or biennial herbs with a taproot,
usually with milky sap.
- Stems: Erect, branched or unbranched, smooth or
hairy, up to 6 feet tall.
- Leaves: Alternate, simple, lanceolate to narrowly
ovate, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, smooth
or hairy, toothed, up to 6 inches long, up to 2 inches wide.
- Flowers: Several in racemes up to 1 1/2 feet long,
blue, each flower about 1 inch across.
- Sepals: 5, green, united at base, up to 1/2 inch
long.
- Petals: 5, blue, united near the base.
- Stamens: 5.
- Pistils: Ovary inferior.
- Fruits: Capsules club-shaped, about 1/2 inch long,
opening by pores near the top; seeds brown, flat.
- Notes: White-tailed deer browse on the leaves of this
species.
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