**SOLVED! The plant I bought is tall bellflower (native), and the stuff growing in the other spots is probably creeping bellflower (invasive). So, I'll be leaving the plug and trying to eradicate the rest. I'd be happy to hear anyone's success in getting rid of the invasive guy…**
Hello! I'd appreciate any help with IDing the plant in the pictures. The first two pictures are of a little plant I got from the Chicago Bird Alliance's Native Plant Sale. It was labeled as pussytoes, but I'm like 90% sure I actually got something else. This is it in it's second year.
The second two pictures are of a similar looking plant that has been growing in a few different spots in the yard since we moved in. I've pulled some if it out. Could it be the same thing? If so, what is it??
by Snoo70047
4 Comments
I’m like 95% sure those are bellflowers. I don’t have much experience distinguishing the American vs Creeping, but I think you have both. The American (what I think you purchased) is native, the Creeping is invasive.
Looks an awful lot like creeping bellflower and American bellflower to me. EDIT: one is native, the other is not. You guess whcihs IS.
Hervaceous perennials that are nontoxic. But bellflowers usually flower in early to midsummer.
It is a creeping bellflower. You should be happy that it never flower or else you will be dealing with it for decades.
Are there even Pussytoes (*Antennaria*) underneath that plant somewhere? If you didn’t specifically buy Tall Bellflower (*Campanulastrum americanum* – the native bellflower) I would be surprised it showed up on its own (I guess it could have been a hitchhiker?).
Regardless, it seems like the 1st and 2nd pictures may show a couple plants present? The leaf shapes and serrations are really variable… I don’t think I could confidently ID it from just those leaves, but I don’t think it’s the native Tall Bellflower. I could be wrong, but the leaf serrations look off (but Tall Bellflower is a biennial, so the first year base leaves could be throwing me off if that is the plant). I’m also a little worried there is a little Creeping Bellflower (*Campanula rapunculoides*) in there (again, hard to tell):
https://preview.redd.it/ch8csv57suzg1.png?width=694&format=png&auto=webp&s=a958cd44c346d959c9429a38dffafdbf377e6006
The 3rd and 4th pictures are almost certainly the invasive Creeping Bellflower. This plant is a nightmare to get rid of – it’s one of the most difficult plants I’ve ever dealt with. What you are holding in the 3rd picture does not reveal the entire root system – if you dig down you will find white carrot-like tubers that may go ~1-2′ deep. You need to dig out the root system *entirely* to remove this plant. It’s awful… And using herbicide on it is also tricky and will require multiple treatments (or require different types of herbicide applied at different times of the year).