Campanula rapunculus.
The Rampion is a biennial plant, indigenous to the south of Europe, and occasionally found in a wild state in England. The roots are white, fusiform, fleshy, and, in common with the other parts of the plant, abound in a milky juice; the lower or root leaves are oval, lanceolate, and waved on the borders; the upper leaves are long, narrow, and pointed. Stem eighteen inches or two feet in height, branching; flowers blue, sometimes white, disposed in small, loose clusters about the top of the plant, on the ends of the branches. The seeds are oval, brownish, and exceedingly small; upwards of nine hundred thousand being contained in an ounce. They retain their germinative property five years.
The plant flowers in July of the second year, and the seeds ripen in autumn. There is but one variety.
Soil and Cultivation.—"Rampion prefers a rich, free, and rather light soil, in a shady situation. It is raised from seed, which should be sown where the plants are to remain, as they do not bear transplanting well. The sowing may be made in April, May, or the beginning of June: but sometimes plants from very early sowings are liable to run up to seed; and, when this is the case, the roots become tough, and unfit for use. The ground should be well dug, and raked as fine as possible. The seed may then be sown either broadcast or in drills, six inches apart, and about one-fourth of an inch deep. As the seeds are very small, it is advisable to mix them with fifteen or twenty times their bulk of fine sand, in order to secure their even distribution in the drills, and to prevent the plants from coming up too closely. The seed should only be very slightly covered with fine earth; and the seed-bed ought to be frequently watered with a fine-rosed watering-pot till the plants come up, which will be in about a fortnight.
"When the young plants are about one inch high, they should be thinned out to four inches apart. After this, no further care is necessary than to water frequently, and to keep the ground free of weeds."—Thomp.
Taking the Crop.—The roots will be fit for use from October till April. They may be taken from the ground for immediate use; or a quantity may be taken up in autumn, before the closing-up of the ground, and packed in sand, for use during the winter.
To raise Seed.—Leave or transplant some of the best yearling plants, and they will produce an abundance of seed in autumn.
Use.—The roots have a pleasant, nut-like flavor; and are generally eaten in their crude state as a salad. "The leaves, as well as the roots, are occasionally used in winter salads."