Campanula rapunculoides, or Creeping Bellflower, is officially classified as a weed in Albert and Manitoba, though apparently not in Saskatchewan. Royer and Dickinson (Weeds of Northern US and Canada) say it's a perennial introduced from Asia and Europe as a garden flower. Shade-tolerant, it takes moisture and nutrients that other plants need and can out-compete turf.
(When it comes to prairie weeds, I don't think I'd mind these on my lawn, instead of the plantains and dandelions I'm currently trying to dig out of the grass...)
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| Delicate stalks of purple bells: Creeping Bellflower © SB |
Prairie Wildflower: Creeping Bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides)
Location: Along Wascana Creek, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Photo Date: July 9, 2012.
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Though pretty you definitely do not want on your lawn, they are very aggressive and spread by seeds and tubers, even a snip of the tuber will grow. The seeds are prolific and these plants are very difficult to be rid of. Considered a noxious weed and a banned species in some parts of canada they are hard to eradicate and take over where native species should be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. I wonder if it's as awful in our local clay soil? Not that I'm planning to plant this, but I've only ever seen single plants or small clumps along lanes, paths, etc., where it's gone wild.
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