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Adenophora liliifolia

Adenophora liliifolia: Plant
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version

Common name:	Ladybells	Family:	Campanulaceae
Author:	(L.)Besser.	Botanical references:	1, 45
Synonyms:	Adenophora fischeri, Adenophora communis (Fisch.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	C. Europe to Siberia
Habitat:	Woods and damp fields[45].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. lilifolia[HORTIPLEX] Campanula liliifolia[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	adenophora = gland bearing, nectary bearing liliifolia = Lilium leaved
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Campanulales. Bellflower family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m by 0.5m . . It is in flower in August, and the seeds ripen in September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Root.

Root - cooked. Thick and esculent[2, 61, 105], it has a sweet flavour[74]. Eaten boiled and in soups etc[46, 177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a light rich slightly alkaline soil that is not too dry, and a warm sunny position[1, 200].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and should be planted out into their permanent positions when young[1].
This species has been cultivated for its edible root in Japan[46, 238].
The flowers have a sweet but refreshing perfume[245]. This is the only member of the genus with scented flowers[245].
The young growth is extremely attractive to slugs, they have been known to destroy even mature plants[K].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[200]. The seed can also be sown in spring. Surface sow 2 - 3 seeds per pot in the spring in order to avoid transplanting[133]. We have found that if transplanted when very small seedlings grow away without difficulty[K]. Germinates in 1 - 3 months at 10° c[133]. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst young.
Basal cuttings in spring[K].
Division in spring - very difficult because the plant dislikes root disturbance[1]..

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have a sweet but refreshing perfume.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Adenophora lilifolia (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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