Campanula edulis

Campanula edulis is in the bellflower family. Its family name is Campanulaceae. Kew gives its native range as Eritrea to Rwanda, plus Yemen. Plants For A Future lists a wider range. It adds Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Somalia. It also lists Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Kew links the plant with desert or dry shrubland. Plants For A Future places it in mountain rock cracks. The two sources thus differ on its range and habitat.

Kew calls the plant a perennial or subshrub. Plants For A Future calls it a perennial. That source gives a height of about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres]. It gives no mature spread or larger garden size range. The sources say little about its form above ground. They do note a thick root with a known food use. No account of this species here describes its leaves. Nor does one describe its stems or bark.

Its flowers have both male and female organs. Plants For A Future says insects pollinate the flowers. Bees, flies, and beetles do this. So do butterflies and moths. The plant can also set seed through self-fertilisation. This means it can use its own pollen. The sources give no bloom season, flower colour, or flower size. They do not describe the fruit. These gaps make its garden display hard to judge. They also leave it unclear when it adds garden interest.

Plants For A Future lists sandy and loamy soils as suitable. Its brief guide favours moist soil that drains well. It lists neutral to mildly alkaline soil. It also lists sun or light shade. But its full care notes come with a key warning. The source says it knows little about this species. It bases those notes on the needs of the genus. It does not settle how hardy the plant is in Britain. These growing tips are tentative, not well-tested care for this species.

The root is the only part listed as edible. Plants For A Future records that children eat it. The source rates its food value at two points out of five. It reports no known hazards, but this does not prove safety. It lists no use as medicine, nor any other uses. It gives cultivated beds as a garden setting. The sources give no pest or disease account for this species. Plants For A Future also questions whether the name is valid. It notes related species in doing so.