Trailing Bellflower (Campanula Poscharskyana) -

Trailing Bellflower / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter /Edible

Adria Bellflower By Ermell – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia commons

Campanula_poscharskyana_By Daniel Cahen - CC BY 4.0, via wikimedia commons — Trailing Bellflower By Daniel Cahen – CC BY 4.0, via wikimedia commons

Common Names

Trailing bellflower, Serbian Bellflower.

Botanical Name

Campanula Poscharskyana

Scientific Classification

– Kingdom: Plantae

– Order: Campanulales

– Family: Campanulaceae

Physical Characteristics of Trailing Bellflower

It is a low-growing, evergreen perennial plant, spreading freely by prostrate stems to form a dense mat of growth 8 – 15cm tall, exceptionally to 30cm.

Leaves

It is in leaf all year round. The plant has small, green, heart-shaped, serrated leaves.

Flowers

The flowers grow in abundance from July-September. It gets it’s name ‘bellfower’ from the bell-shaped flower buds occurring on the plant before the flower blooms. Once the flower blooms the buds open to reveal five small violet petals in a star shape.

Stem

The slender stems can be slightly hairy or smooth. They grow vertically, often at a slight angle leaning away from walls.

Habitat

It is native to the Balkans and has become naturalized in Central and Southern England. It is commonly found growing from rocky cliffs, walls, banks and crevices in pavements.

Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Known Hazards

None known

Trailing Bellflower Could be Confused with…

When foraging, Trailing Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana) could easily be confused with other bellflower species, particularly Adriatic Bellflower (Campanula garganica) and Creeping Bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides). Both share a similar star-shaped flower structure and trailing habit, but Creeping Bellflower can be distinguished by its taller, more upright growth and deeper violet, bell-shaped blooms.

Additionally, some foragers might mistake Trailing Bellflower for Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis), another common wall-creeping plant, but the latter has smaller, pale purple flowers with a distinct yellow spot at the centre. While none of these lookalikes are toxic, it’s always important to correctly identify plants before considering any foraged use.

Ivy leaved toadflax, plant on a stone wall in winter-forager fez

Edible Uses of Trailing Bellflower

Leaves: raw in a salad although they can be little tough so lashings of a vinegary or citrusy dressing is recommended to help soften them. They can also be fermented in kimchi or cooked as a green. They have pleasant, delicate, refreshing sweet flavour.

Flowers : The raw flowers have a pleasant sweet flavour and can be used as a decorative garnish on savoury meals or can be sprinkled in salads and over cakes.

Notes on Herbal Uses

None known.

Extra notes from the Foragers

Trailing bellflower often grows along pavements and low down on walls. Make sure you avoid dog-wee zones when foraging by picking flowers and leaves higher up on the plant.

The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile.

Trailing Bellflower comes from the Dinaric Alps and arrived in UK in the 1930’s. It was first recorded in the wild in 1957. Mountain plants such as Trailing Bellflower tolerate poor, thin soil so often thrive in urban environments.