Wahlenbergia hederacea, also known as the ivy-leaved bellflower, is a species of flowering plant that is found throughout Europe. The delicate, patch-forming, hairless perennial herb has thin, creeping stems about 20 cm in length. Its pale green leaves are long-stalked and have an ivy-shaped, rounded structure. These leaves can be described as having a cordate shape and are approximately 5–12 mm long and wide. The plant has erect, solitary, pale blue flowers in summer and autumn,[2] with bell-shaped corolla with 5 short lobes.[3] The flowers are 6–10 mm long x 5–8 mm wide[4] and sit on fine stalks 1–4 cm long. It is suggested that the long pedicels are an adaptation to assist in seed dispersal.[5]
| Wahlenbergia hederacea | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Campanulaceae |
| Genus: | Wahlenbergia |
| Species: | W. hederacea
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| Binomial name | |
| Wahlenbergia hederacea | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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List
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Taxonomy
editThis species was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus who gave it the name Campanula hederacea in his Species Plantarum.[6][7] In 1827, Ludwig Reichenbach transferred the species to Wahlenbergia as W. hederacea in his Iconographia Botanica.[1][8]
Habitat
editWahlenbergia hederacea is found in cool, moist and boggy, partially-shaded areas,[3] typically with acidic soils, such as woodlands, streams, pastures, heaths and beside rivulets. The plant thrives in short-grassed areas beside streams, with moist, acidic soils, and is almost never found in basic soils and stagnant water.[9] They usually occur in small, scattered groups. The abundance of the ivy-leaved bellflower has been declining throughout the 1900s due to the loss of their habitat.[5]
Distribution
editWahlenbergia hederacea is native to Europe and commonly found in southern England, and Wales,[10] but also in North West England, Western Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Western Germany, Spain, and Portugal.[9]
Gallery
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References
edit- ^ a b c "Wahlenbergia hederacea". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Robinson, William (2009). Hardy Flowers. Applewood Books. p. 261. ISBN 9781429014434.
- ^ a b Everett, Thomas H. (1982). The New York Botanical Garden illustrated encyclopedia of horticulture. Vol. 10. New York Botanical Garden. New York: Taylor & Francis. pp. 3521. ISBN 9780824072407.
- ^ The Wild Flower Key, British Isles N.W. Europe, Francis Rose, WARNE, Published by the Penguin Group, 1991 reissue, ISBN 0-7232-2419-6
- ^ a b Eddie, William; Cupido, Christopher (March 2014). "Hesperocodon, a new generic name for Wahlenbergia hederacea (Campanulaceae): phylogeny and capsule dehiscence". Edinburgh Journal of Botany. 71 (1): 63–74. doi:10.1017/s0960428613000310.
- ^ "Campanula hederaceae". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species Plantarum. Berlin: Junk. p. 169. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Reichenbach, Ludwig (1827). Iconographia Botanica sea Plantae Criticae. Leipzig: Apud Fridericum Hofmeister. p. 47. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b Rix, Martyn (26 February 2004). "Plate 488. Wahlenbergia hederacea". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 21 (1): 61–64. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8748.2004.00413.x.
- ^ "Wahlenbergia hederacea | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora". www.brc.ac.uk.
External links
edit- "British Wild Plant: Wahlenbergia hederacea Ivy-leaved Bellflower". ukwildflowers.com. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
- Guy Colling (7 April 2011). "Red List of the Vascular Plants of Luxembourg" (PDF). Ferrantia: Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle de Luxembourg. ISSN 1682-5519. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
- "Wahlenbergia hederacea | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora". brc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-06.