Campanula paucifloraLam. ex Steud. 1840 not Desf. 1833
Campanula planifloraLam.
Campanula subulataP.Beauv. ex A.DC.
Phyteuma americanumHill
Specularia americana(L.) Morgan ex J. James
Campanula americana, the American bellflower,[3] or tall bellflower,[4] is a bellflower native to eastern North America. Tall bellflowers can be annual or biennial with a varying life-history with seeds germinating in the fall producing annual plants and spring-germinating seeds producing biennial plants.[5] Long-tongued bees are the primary pollinators, including Megachile campanulae, but halictid bees, butterflies, and skippers may also act as pollinators.[6] Some authorities, including the USDA PLANTS database, consider the name Campanulastrum americanum to be the accepted name for this species.[7][8]
A large central flower stem shoots up from a basal rosette, that terminates in a raceme 1/2-2' long, with the plant's overall height being 3-6'. The central stem is light green, slightly grooved, and hairy. The primary root system is a taproot. It has alternate leaves 3-6" in length, that are lance-shaped to ovate-elliptic in shape, with rough/toothed edges.[9]
Tall bellflower flowers are light blue to violet with a pale white ring at the throat, which primarily bloom in July and August. It is an unusual bellflower in that its flowers are flat. Flowers are approximately 1" across. Its pistils have a recurved style and a three lobed anther and each flower has 5 stamen, 5 petals, and 5 sepals.[6] The ovaries develop into 5 angled flat topped seed pods.
Reproduction
Campanula americana is self-compatible and exhibits sequential hermaphroditism as a protandrous plant. Mating strageties of C. Americana are plastic and dependent on pollinator abundance. When there are pollinators present in substantial numbers, C. americana uses out-crossing for reproduction but the plants are able to self-pollinate as security against low pollinator visits.[10]
Pollen ranges in color from dark purple to light tan.[11]
Taxonomy
Sweat Bee pollinating an American Bellflower
Campanula is derived from the Latin campana, which means "little bell". However, C. americana is an exception in its genus with its flat rather than bell shaped flower. With the morphological difference, a new genus of Campanulastrum has been proposed.[12]
The species name americana refers to the habitat range of America.[13]
Distribution and habitat
American Bellflower
Tall bellflowers grow from the Great Lakes region south to Florida and from the Dakotas east to New York.[14] They thrive in partial shade and grow along woodland edges, in open woods, shaded meadows, stream banks and ditches.[4]
Cultivation and uses
Tall bellflowers are popular for landscaping purposes, and thrive in mass groupings.[15]
Native American groups have used different parts of the American Bellflower for respiratory cures. Specifically, the Haudenosaunee group treated whooping cough with a root infusion. The Meskwaki treated coughing and tuberculosis with the leaves.[16]
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