Also known as Campanulastrum americanum by botanists who consider it a fake Campanula. A very tall bellflower usually found in damp areas; these were growing by Saw Mill Run in Seldom Seen. In addition to its height, the long white pistils with curled ends are distinctive. The blooming season begins in June or July, and the plants continue flower off and on until fall. In Father Pitt’s experience, it is neither rare nor common.
Gray describes the genus and the species:
C. americàna L. (TALL B.) Annual; stem mostly simple, 0.5–1.8 m. high; leaves ovate and ovate-lanceolate, taper-pointed, serrate, mostly on margined petioles, thin, somewhat hairy, 0.5-1.5 dm. long; spiciform raceme 3-6 dm. long, the flowers solitary or clustered in the axils of the upper leaves and bracts; corolla rotate, light blue, 2.5 cm. broad; capsule glabrous, opening by pores at the summit. — Moist rich soil, Ont. and N.Y. to Neb., s. to Ga. and Ark. June–Aug.
Flora Pittsburghensis 