Campanula rotundifolia
Alpine harebell
(c) Sandy Rae, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Campanulaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Campanula rotundifolia (Alpine harebell) is a native California herb in the Campanulaceae family, recognized by height, flower size, and leaf shape.
Alpine harebell is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and high California Ranges in moist mountain slopes at elevations of 1,200 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this delicate plant produces pale to deep blue flowers with bell-shaped corollas 12 to 20 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall, it forms a slender, nearly hairless herb with thin stems. Its leaves are distinctive, ranging from 30 to 60 millimeters long, linear to lanceolate, with basal leaves on stalks and upper stem leaves sessile. The flower's blue to white style and reflexed corolla lobes create an elegant, graceful appearance in alpine and subalpine environments.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; distinguished by height, flower size, and leaf shape
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist slopes
Elevation: 1200-2500 m
California counties: Siskiyou, Trinity, Contra Costa, Shasta, Mendocino
Outside California: circumboreal
Bloom period
Campanula rotundifolia blooms Jul-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Smithiastrum: Campanula has bell-shaped flowers split less than halfway; Smithiastrum flowers are tube-shaped with tiny lobes.; vs Phacelia: Phacelia flowers spiral on coiled stems with protruding stamens; Campanula bells hang singly on straight stalks.; vs Triteleia: Triteleia has 6-petaled flowers from a bulb; Campanula has 5-lobed bells from fibrous perennial roots.; vs Eastwoodiella: Eastwoodiella has deeply divided star-like petals; Campanula bells are only partially split.; vs Triodanis: Triodanis is annual with flat wheel flowers pressed to stem; Campanula is perennial with stalked bells.
Frequently asked questions
Is Campanula rotundifolia native to California?
Yes. Campanula rotundifolia is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Campanula rotundifolia bloom?
Campanula rotundifolia blooms Jul-Sep.
Where in California does Campanula rotundifolia grow?
Campanula rotundifolia occurs in Siskiyou, Trinity, Contra Costa, Shasta, Mendocino, at elevations of 1200-2500 m.
What plant family does Campanula rotundifolia belong to?
Campanula rotundifolia is in the Campanulaceae family, genus Campanula.
What habitat does Campanula rotundifolia grow in?
Campanula rotundifolia grows in Moist slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.