Platycodon grandiflorus

(Jacq.) A.DC. (1830)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Campanulaceae Genus: Platycodon

balloon flower, chinese bellflower

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs, perennial.

Stems: Stems erect, 20–120 cm tall, usually glabrous, rarely densely puberulent, simple, rarely branched above.

Roots: Taproots thickened, carrotlike.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades adaxially green, ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, 2–7 × 0.5–3.5 cm. Apex acute or acuminate. Base broadly cuneate or rounded. Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces glabrous (rarely puberulent along veins) and glaucous. Margins serrate. Short-petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers terminal, solitary. Flowers bisexual (perfect), large, pedicellate. hypanthium hemispherical, obovoid, or obconic, rarely campanulate, glaucous. Calyx lobes 5, triangular or narrowly triangular, sometimes toothlike. Corolla bowl–shaped; lobes 5, blue or purple (rarely pink or white), 1.5–4.5 cm. Stamens 5, free; filaments dilated into a triangular base, dilated part ciliate; anthers longer than filaments. Ovary semi–inferior, 5-locular, locules opposite calyx lobes; style solitary, pubescent with pollen-collecting hairs below apex; stigma 5–fid.

Fruit: Capsules 5–loculicidal at apex; valves with septa; opposite to calyx lobes; globose; obconic; or obovoid; 0.7–2.5 × 0.7–1.5 cm. Seeds numerous; large; terete (cylindrical); longitudinally keeled.

Ploidy: 2n = 18; 36

Habitat: Sunny herb communities; thickets; rarely in forests.

Elevation Range: below 2,000 m.

Historical Distribution

Synonyms (41)

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Only found in cultivation
O'ahu Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Monogr. Campan.: 125 (1830)

Other References

Staples & Herbst 2005:217 (KEY), 218 (DESCR); Lau & Frohlich 2012:12 (NEWNAT/O, DESCR)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. honolulu, moiliili community gardens, near base of manoa valley PRESERVED_SPECIMEN mayeda, c.s. collector number: 22a Oahu BISH 2/20/1991
2 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. Honolulu, Moiliili community gardens, near base of Manoa Valley PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Mayeda, C.S. 22A Oahu BISH 2/20/1991
3 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. Manoa UTM 622786 2357198 Growing with Vinca out of rock wall near drainage pipe. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN OED 2008103101 Oahu BISH 10/31/2008
4 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. Lihue. Cultivated plants purchased from Wal-Mart. Cultivated. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Tim Flynn 6817 Kauai PTBG 6/28/2001
5 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. Honolulu, Moiliili community gardens, near base of Manoa Valley PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Mayeda, C.S. 22 Oahu BISH 12/17/1990
6 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. manoa utm 622786 2357198 Growing with Vinca out of rock wall near drainage pipe. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN oed frohlich, d.; lau, a. collector number: 2008103101 Oahu BISH 10/31/2008
7 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. lihue, from wal-mart 3.5" pot PRESERVED_SPECIMEN flynn, t. faanunu, k.; shimatsu, j. collector number: 6817 Kauai BISH 6/26/2001
8 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. Lihue, from Wal-Mart 3.5" pot PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Flynn, T. 6817 Kauai BISH 6/26/2001
9 Platycodon grandiflorus (Jacq.) A.DC. Honolulu, florist's shop PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Hartt, C.E. s.n. Oahu BISH 10/5/1951