Research

In August 2025, I found two white blooms of mountain harebell (Campanula lasiocarpa) in alpine scree in Southcentral Alaska, at an elevation of 1,070 meters. When I returned to the same site in August 2026, I documented one white bloom.

I’m preparing a manuscript on these observations for submission to a peer-reviewed botanical journal.

A closer look at the leaves

In my field observations, the white-flowered plants appeared to have more sharply pointed teeth along their leaf edges than the violet-blue plants I compared them with. I’m investigating whether that difference is consistent and what it might tell us about variation within the species.

I’m also taking physical measurements to compare the Alaskan plants with typical wild mountain harebell.

Pilot DNA barcoding

I’m carrying out pilot DNA sequencing to investigate how these plants relate to other North American Campanula lasiocarpa.

Horticultural potential

I’m assessing their potential for rock gardens and possible cultivar registration. I’m also considering whether cultivation could contribute to their conservation.

Archival research

I’m reviewing historical descriptions and herbarium records, including collections at Kew, Harvard, and the University of Tokyo, to put these observations in context.

A 1934 botanical account documents a white-flowered harebell from Mount Biei in Hokkaido, recorded by C. Hara in August 1930. The form was described as Campanula lasiocarpa f. albiflora. The original paper is now archived by Hokkaido University.

Read the original description (1934, p. 382).

Project milestones

Photographic record established: two white blooms documented in August 2025 and one in August 2026.

Herbarium records gathered: specimen catalog data collected from international botanical repositories.

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