Campanula asperuloides

Perennial of the Campanulaceae family, native to Greece, where it grows in the crevices of limestone rocks and on rocky slopes shaded or semi-shaded, at low and medium altitude. It is an endemic species of the Greek mountains, not widespread in nature.

The plant forms a dense and carpeting cushion, very low, hardly exceeding 5 to 10 cm in height in bloom. The leaves are small, rounded to oval, a bright slightly shiny green, finely pubescent, tightly packed on slender and branched stems that spread in a compact mat. This small and dense foliage vaguely resembles that of a bedstraw, which is reflected in its epithet.

The flowers are tubular and narrow, with star-spread lobes, a delicate pale lilac-blue, borne in small terminal groups above the foliage. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July. In cultivation, it generally occurs from May to June.

It requires a well-drained substrate, preferably limestone, a semi-shaded to shaded exposure, and protection against excess winter moisture. Cultivation in an alpine box or pot under cold shelter is particularly suitable. It is a sought-after collector's plant for the delicacy of its habit and the discretion of its flowering.