What flower is that?

Photo credit: © Francis R. Underwood 2011

Although it is not a very common plant, the mystery plant for March is one of my favorites. Its small blue flowers always seem to lend some cheer to our otherwise dark and gloomy swamps.  I have seldom seen it growing in wet meadows, but this is probably because Rhode Island has lost most of its meadows to development.

This month’s mystery plant is a weak-stemmed, reclining plant of wet meadows and swamps.  The funnel-shaped, pale blue flowers droop on long slender pedicels. The leaves are slightly toothed and linear. It is a member of a small family of plants, all of which contain milky sap. The flowers bloom from early July to September.

It’s…

Botanical Name:		Campanula aparinoides
Common Name:		Marsh Bellflower
Family:		Campanulaceae (Bellflower Family),
Habitat:		Swamps, marshes and wet meadows