Campanula is one of several genera in the family Campanulaceae with the common name bellflower. It takes both its common and its scientific name from its bell-shaped flowers. Campanula is Latin for “little bell”. The genus includes over 500 species and several subspecies, distributed across the temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest diversity in the Mediterranean region east to the Caucasus. The range also extends into mountains in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. The species include annual, biennial and perennial plants, and vary in habit from dwarf arctic and alpine species under 5 cm high, to large temperate grassland and woodland species growing to 2 metres tall.

Campanula barbata, common name Bearded Bellflower, is a species of perennial bellflower. This delicate little plant forms a small basal rosette of narrow, hairy leaves, with arching spires of blue bells which also are hairy inside (hence the origin of the Latin name). This plant is usually a short-lived perennial but generally self-seeds to make attractive drifts on a scree or rockery.