Content
- Toxic or not? Bellflower gives up puzzles
- Bellflower probably not poisonous
- Many myths and legends about the bellflower
- Tips & Tricks
The bellflower is probably not poisonous; but it is not sure
Toxic or not? Bellflower gives up puzzles
The bellflower (Campanula) with its delicate, usually blue or purple calyx grows in many gardens. Depending on the variety, it forms dense flower carpets and enchants the beholder from June to August with their blossoming joy. As popular as the flower is, so disparate are the experts in terms of their toxicity.
Bellflower probably not poisonous
As much as the representatives of the "Bellflowers are poisonous!" Faction in various Internet forums claim, so far, the scientific evidence for this claim has not yet been provided. In fact, the bellflower is not found in any single directory for poisonous plants, also was (and is sometimes still today) at least the Rapunzel bellflower cultivated because of their fleshy, nutritious roots. Incidentally, the same plant lent its name to the girl "Rapunzel" in the homonymous fairy tale. However, since the toxicity of many other species so far could neither be confirmed nor refuted, the precautionary principle applies: Ergo you (or your children or animals) prefer not to eat parts of the bellflower, even if you most likely except nausea or the like, no symptoms of intoxication will notice.
Many myths and legends about the bellflower
The bellflower probably owes the rumor of its toxicity to the numerous myths and fairy tales that refer to the delicate flower - which are not always to be interpreted positively for humans. If you have a little daughter and she, like so many little girls, loves fairy tales, take a closer look at the illustrations in the respective books. There, the fairies are often depicted with the flower of a bellflower as a headgear. These representations are by no means due to the creativity of modern children's book illustrators, but instead to centuries-old myths. Bellflowers have always been considered flowers of the fairies and are said to call them together for their meetings.
Tips & Tricks
By the way, a very old story from England knows that a human being who is - even inadvertently - within a ring of bluebells, exposes himself to the judgment of the fairies about life and death.