About Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix
This species is Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix. Unlike species in the genus Campanula, Legousia have straight petal bases, not bell-shaped bases at the petal attachment point. The flowers of L. speculum-veneris have a five-lobed calyx positioned under the base of the flower, with very long, narrow lobes (arms) that are roughly the same length as both the petals and the ovary. When the flower is young, the ovary looks like a stalk supporting the bloom, and it swells in size as it matures. This species does not have the broad blue central band found on flowers of L. pentagonia, a species that occurs from Greece eastwards, which also has noticeably shorter calyx arms. In the Eastern Mediterranean, there are transitional forms between L. speculum-veneris and L. pentagonia that suggest ongoing gene flow between the two species.
