Rampion Bellflower. Somewhat sweet they can be a pleasant addition to the salad bowl. It has a nut like flavor and is reportedly very palatable.
In the second year the plant flowers to 3 feet with showy lavender bell shaped blossoms. It has a self supporting growth form. The botanical name is actually a diminutive form of the word for turnip so it means little turnip bellflower long ago domesticated forms of the plant had large roots bigger than most parsnips but these.
The species campanula rapunculus commonly known as rampion bellflower rampion or rover bellflower is a biennial vegetable which was once widely grown in europe for its spinach like leaves and radish like roots.
This species was once widely grown in europe for its leaves which were used like spinach and its parsnip like root which was used like a radish. The fairy tale character rapunzel takes her name from this plant. Rampion bellflower is a photoautotroph. Leaves and young shoots of rampion bellflower are edible raw or cooked.