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strange creeping bellflower #909909

Asked July 15, 2025, 10:48 AM EDT

Hello, I'm reaching out about some seemingly atypical "creeping bellflower" that has been cropping up around my house. While I suspect it is indeed creeping bellflower, there are some particularly odd traits that seem counter to the standard description: 1) it's tall. Really tall. Minimum height is 4 feet, some stalks are 5+ feet. Most sources indicate that they clock in at 3" on the high end. 2) the rhizome seems smaller than expected 3) the pistil is split into a 6 pointed star rather than 3 points 4) no basal leaves I have additional photos of these curious traits and discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Minnesota_Gardening/s/wTapPPYztO Some folks in the comments suggested the possibility of this being a hybrid; have you observed any similar such hybridization? Are the differences between what I'm seeing and the commonly documented traits just standard variance in the species? Thanks for your time!

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

This was a learning opportunity for me too.  It seems there is a perennial tall bellflower:  https://www.prairiemoon.com/campanula-americana-tall-bellflower
Barbara, Anoka County MG, TCA Replied July 15, 2025, 7:38 PM EDT
Indeed there is, but I'm not so sure this matches the c. americana morphology. Notably: the interior of the flower is not white, the edges of the flowers are not crimped/wavy, the flowers do not open into the american bellflower's "star" petal shape, and the pistils are (mostly) quite straight. Typically c. americana also tends to be closer to a blue hue than the intense purple of the flowers I saw in my yard.

Some folks in the reddit thread suggested that it could be a hybridized creeping bellflower/something else. Has the U studied the ability of cbf to crossbreed with any of the domestic varietals?

On Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 6:38 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied July 15, 2025, 7:50 PM EDT
Sorry, but this was the best we could do.  As I am not an employee of UMN and not involved in any research, I cannot answer your question,
Barbara, Anoka County MG, TCA Replied July 15, 2025, 9:39 PM EDT

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