Campanula shetleri
Encyclopedia
Campanula shetleri is a rare species of bellflower
known by the common name Castle Crags bellflower. It is endemic to California
, where it is known from fewer than ten occurrences in the southern reaches of the Cascade Range
near the border between Siskiyou
and Shasta Counties
. It is a plant of the temperate coniferous forests
of the range. This is a small, clumpy perennial herb growing from a woody rhizome
. It produces a patch of hairy leaves not more than 5 centimeters high, each leaf leathery in texture with approximately two large pointed teeth on each edge. The flower is about a centimeter long, white to pale blue with corolla lobes curled back and a protruding style
. The fruit is a ribbed, cup-shaped capsule containing tiny seeds each about millimeter wide. The plant is named for Castle Crags
, a mountain formation in its limited native range.
Campanula
Campanula is one of several genera in the family Campanulaceae with the common name bellflower. It takes its name from their bell-shaped flowers—campanula is Latin for "little bell"....
known by the common name Castle Crags bellflower. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known from fewer than ten occurrences in the southern reaches of the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
near the border between Siskiyou
Siskiyou County, California
Siskiyou County is a county located in the far northernmost part of the U.S. state of California, in the Shasta Cascade region on the Oregon border. Yreka is the county seat. Because of its substantial natural beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, and Gold Rush era history, it is an important...
and Shasta Counties
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...
. It is a plant of the temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest. In most temperate coniferous forests, evergreen conifers predominate, while some are a mix of conifers and broadleaf evergreen...
of the range. This is a small, clumpy perennial herb growing from a woody rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. It produces a patch of hairy leaves not more than 5 centimeters high, each leaf leathery in texture with approximately two large pointed teeth on each edge. The flower is about a centimeter long, white to pale blue with corolla lobes curled back and a protruding style
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
. The fruit is a ribbed, cup-shaped capsule containing tiny seeds each about millimeter wide. The plant is named for Castle Crags
Castle Crags
Castle Crags is a dramatic and well-known rock formation in Northern California. Although the mountains of Northern California consist largely of rocks of volcanic and sedimentary origin, granite bodies intruded many parts of the area during the Jurassic period...
, a mountain formation in its limited native range.