This is the last in the series on narrow-range endemics of the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Regarding Campanula piperi, the late Edward L. Tisch wrote the following haiku:
- The entire sky
- Leans in all directions
- Trying to match your blue.
Although most individual plants have roughly the same shade of blue, Olympic bellflower or Piper’s bellflower can be found in colours ranging from dark-blue to light-sky-blue (often the blues may have a bit of purple) to white. Pure-white flowers are seemingly the rarest; a search of the subalpine rocky areas where Campanula piperi tends to grow resulted in locating only one highly localized population of 5-10 plants out of the perhaps two hundred plants encountered. Due to variation in both colour and flower shape, a number of selections have been made and exist as cultivars. Graham Nicholls discusses many of these cultivars in his book on Dwarf Campanulas and Associated Genera (see Campanula piperi).
Campanula piperi is endemic to the Olympic Mountains of Washington. It is generally a plant of rock crevices, though it can rarely be found in screes. Flowers are present after snow-melt, in July and August. Additional images, if desired, are available from the Burke Museum: Campanula piperi.
The epithet piperi honours Charles Piper, mentioned previously in the week within the entry on Viola flettii.
That last photo – breathtaking. Nature, poetry, and photography collide!
I thought haiku was in the form:
the summery skies
can be the truest of blue
but pale next to you
Or,
Five syllables first stanza
seven in the second,
and five in the last.
The Campanula and its location in the Olympics were admirably portrayed in this post. Such Beauty!
Technically, He Who Lives.., the traditional Japanese Haiku consists of 17 “ohn” or word syllables with clear breaks, one indicating the season. I believe this lovely haiku from a respected botanical master conforms.
: )
Sky-tinted flower
Your bloom is spectacular
The rocks are jealous
thank you daniel for showing my homeland
the united states of america
in such a loveing way
the milkweed pods are breaking
and bits of silken down
float off upon the autum breeze
across the meadows brown
cavendish
The photos are beautiful — thank you.
As I scrolled down through the two near views, the sudden wide deep scene of the mountains was breathtaking… and with the little blue flowers in the foreground.
I also love Tisch’s haiku. It was interesting to read the tribute to him, at the linked page. Makes me wish I’d had the experience of attending one of his botany courses.
All of this is much appreciated.
I love seeing blue flower photos and each picture is so lovely. The haiku is just right for these photos.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae
I love those flowers, is there any way i could get some seed or clipping i love to get plants i have never seen before