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Campanula rapunculus

Common name:	Rampion	Family:	Campanulaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe - Mediterranean. Introduced in Britain[17].
Habitat:	Hedgerows, woodland edges, fields etc[9], usually on gravelly soils in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Melez Cancicegi [E], Pate Di Sautrale [E], Rampion [H], Rampion Bellflower [L], Raponchigo [E], Rapunzelklokje [D],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Campanulales. Bellflower family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Argentina; Belgium; Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.9m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Meadow, Hedgerow, Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root.

Root - raw or cooked[2, 5, 33, 37, 100, 183]. A very nice sweet flavour[27], reminiscent of walnuts[2]. They are best mixed with other root vegetables and used in winter salads[2, 9].
Leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb[2, 5, 9, 27, 33, 37, 100, 183]. A fairly bland flavour, with a hint of sweetness, they are quite acceptable raw in salads[K]. The leaves are rich in vitamin C, they make an acceptable winter salad[4].
Young shoots in spring can be blanched and cooked like asparagus[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily cultivated plant, it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[1, 4, 200], though it succeeds in most good soils[4]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.5.
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[200].
Plants often self-sow in the garden[271].
The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[221]. The plants are self-fertile[221].
Rampion was formerly often cultivated for its edible root, though it has fallen into virtual disuse[4]. When grown for its edible root, the plant should not be allowed to flower[4].
Plants can be grown in a meadow[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow May/June in situ. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[138].

Suppliers

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

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[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.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[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.

[221] Crook. H. Clifford. Campanulas Country Life 1951
A comprehensive treatment of the genus.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

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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