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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)

Campanula gentianoides Lam. (1785)
Campanula glauca Thunb. (1784)
Campanula grandiflora Jacq. (1777)
Platycodon autumnalis Decne. (1848)
Platycodon chinensis Lindl. & Paxton (1852)
Platycodon glaucus (Thunb.) Nakai (1924)
Platycodon glaucus f. albiflorus Honda (1937)
Platycodon glaucus f. albus Makino (1926)
Platycodon glaucus f. bicolor Makino (1926)
Platycodon glaucus f. subasepalus Honda (1938)
Platycodon glaucus f. violaceus Makino (1926)
Platycodon glaucus var. duplex (Makino) Nakai (1924)
Platycodon glaucus var. monanthus Nakai (1939)
Platycodon glaucus var. pentapetalus (Makino) Makino (1926)
Platycodon glaucus var. planicorollatus Makino (1950)
Platycodon glaucus var. rugosus Makino (1950)
Platycodon glaucus var. subaphyllus Nakai (1939)
Platycodon grandiflorus f. albiflorus (Honda) H.Hara (1952)
Platycodon grandiflorus f. angustifolius Regel (1861)
Platycodon grandiflorus f. bicolor (Makino) H.Hara (1952)
Platycodon grandiflorus f. leucanthus H.Hara (1952)
Platycodon grandiflorus f. monanthus (Nakai) Hyun S.Kim (1976)
Platycodon grandiflorus f. subasepalus (Honda) H.Hara (1952)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. albus Stubenrauch (1901)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. autumnalis (Decne.) Voss (1894)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. candolleanus Franch. (1882)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. duplex Makino (1908)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. glaucus (Thunb.) Siebold & Zucc. (1846)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. japonicus Stubenrauch (1901)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. mariesii Lynch (1885)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. pentapetalus Makino (1909)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. planicorollatus (Makino) Nakai (1952)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. rugosus (Makino) Nakai (1952)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. semiplenus Stubenrauch (1901)
Platycodon grandiflorus var. striatus Stubenrauch (1901)
Platycodon mariesii (Lynch) Wittm. (1892)
Platycodon mariesii f. albonanus H.Hara (1952)
Platycodon mariesii f. striatus (Stubenrauch) H.Hara (1952)
Platycodon mariesii var. albus Wittm. (1892)
Platycodon sinensis Lem. (1853)
Wahlenbergia grandiflora (Jacq.) Schrad. (1814)

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. Lihue. Cultivated plants purchased from Wal-Mart. Cultivated. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Tim Flynn 6817 Kauai PTBG 6/28/2001
4 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
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
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