Phyteuma hemisphaericum

Perennial of the Campanulaceae family, Phyteuma hemisphaericum is a high mountain plant of Europe, found in the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the northern Apennines. It colonizes acidophilous grasslands, fine scree, and fissures of siliceous rocks, generally between 1,800 and 3,000 meters in altitude.

It forms small upright tufts 10 to 25 cm in height, bearing linear basal leaves, very narrow, of a bright green, giving it a grass-like appearance. The cauline leaves are reduced and sessile.

The flowers, grouped in compact hemispherical heads, are of an intense violet-blue. Each flower has narrow recurved strips, which lengthen and intertwine during anthesis, giving the aged heads a very characteristic disheveled and torn appearance. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to August depending on the altitude.

In cultivation, it requires poor, well-drained soil, with an acidic reaction, in a sunny exposure. It tolerates neither limestone nor excess winter moisture. A demanding plant in alpine rock gardens, it rewards patience with the brilliance of its bluish heads emerging from a delicate foliage.