Campanula pyramidalis L.
Frost hardy, short-lived erect perennial usually grown as a biennial with pyramidal racemes of fragrant light blue or white flowers from late spring to summer. To 3m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Horticultural & Botanical History
Often brought inside in pots in summer and trained into a fan-shape to disguise the empty hearth. ‘To ensure a good bloom of C. pyramidalis you must keep up a constant succession of young plants, those that have once flowered in pots being only fit for the border’. [Gard. Chron. 1843]. A later correspondent adds: ‘I do not find they flower vigorously under 2 or 3 years, but at that age I have had plants 9 feet high and covered with blossom.’ [Gard. Chron 1844]. Grown in Britain since at least 1596. [JD]. Don.
History at Camden Park
Listed in the 1843, 1850 and 1857 catalogues [H.43/1843]. Received per ‘Sovereign’ February 1831. [MP A2948]. It may have been lost and subsequently obtained from James Backhouse as it was included among desiderata in a letter dated 10th April 1846 but not recorded as arrived. [MP A2933-1, p.136]. Evidence for this is its omission from the 1845 catalogue, reappearing in 1850.
Notes
Campanula pyramidalis Gilib. (1782) = Campanula bononiensis L. [See Campanula persicifolia var. maxima Curt.].
Published Sep 28, 2009 - 04:16 PM | Last updated Jul 16, 2010 - 10:47 AM
| Family | Campanulaceae |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Region of origin | Northern Italy and Balkans |
| Synonyms | |
| Common Name | Steeple bells, Chimney bellflower |
| Name in the Camden Park Record |
Campanula pyramidalis |
| Confidence level | high |