Platycodon grandiflorus 'Shell Pink' (Chinese Bellflower)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Chinese Bellflower, Japanese Bellflower, Shell Pink Balloon Flower

Description

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Family Campanulaceae

The Campanulaceae are herbs, shrubs , or rarely small trees comprising about 70 genera and 2,000 species usually with milky sap . The leaves are nearly always alternate and simple ; stipules are absent The flowers are bisexual , and actinomorphic in the subfamily Campanuloideae but zygomorphic in the Lobelioideae. The perianth and androecium are usually 5-merous, sometimes 3-10-merous. The calyx and corolla each consist of connate segments. The stamens equal the number of corolla lobes , alternate with them, and are adnate to the extreme base of the corolla or epigynous zone or more commonly arise from the annular epigynous nectary disk; the filaments are distinct and the anthers are introrse and only weakly connivent around the style in the Campanuloideae but in the lobelioideae the introrse anthers and also often the filaments are firmly connate. The gynoecium consists of a single compound pistil of usually 2 carpels and locules with numerous axile ovules in the subfamily Lobelioideae but usually consists of 3-5 carpels and locules with numerous axile ovules in the subfamily Campanuloideae. The single style commonly has a number of lobes or stigmas equal to the number of carpels. The ovary is nearly always inferior and is generally crowned with an epigynous annular nectary disk. The fruit is usually a capsule or berry. -- Gerald Carr.

Physical Description

Flowers: Puffy, balloon-like buds open to large, soft pale pink star-shaped blossoms . Blooms in July and August. • Bloom Period: June, July, August. • Flower Color: pale pink

Foliage: Summer foliage: Attractive glossy foliiage.

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 12-24" tall.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Bed . Border . Container .

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Space 9-18" apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full sun to part sun.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Infraphylum: Radiatopses () - Kenrick & Crane, 1997
        Class: Magnoliopsida () - Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Asteridae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Campanulanae () - Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
        Order: Asterales () - Lindley, 1833
        Family: Campanulaceae () - A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons. - campanules, harebells
        Subfamily: Campanuloideae ()
        Tribe: Platycodoneae ()
        Genus: Platycodon () - Alph. de Candolle, 1830
        Specific epithet: grandiflorus
        Cultivar: Shell Pink
        Botanical name: - Platycodon grandiflorus 'Shell Pink'