About Phyteuma betonicifolium Vill.
Phyteuma betonicifolium Vill. is a herbaceous perennial plant. It grows to between about 25 and 70 cm (9.8 and 27.6 in) in height. Its stem is erect and unbranched, and the upper third of the stem is usually hairless. Basal leaves have long stalks; their leaf blades are heart-shaped or rounded at the base, have a mix of sharp and blunt teeth, and are three to eight times as long as they are wide. Upper leaves located on the stem are narrow-lanceolate and stalkless. The plant grows from a rhizome underground. Its flowers are light blue-violet, structured with five parts each. Flowers are borne in dense, erect panicles that measure around 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) long, and the entire inflorescence is shaped like an oval cylinder. The plant's bracts are narrow-lanceolate. Its flowering season runs from June through August. The fruit it produces is a capsule that holds many small seeds. Phyteuma betonicifolium is distributed from France and Switzerland to Italy, and from Germany to Austria to the former Yugoslavia. It grows in the Alps, in subalpine to alpine zones at altitudes between 1000 and 2700 meters. It is fairly common there, and grows well in meadows, pastures, and scrub.
