Bluebells grow almost everywhere: They are found in arctic climate zones as well as in the mild climate of the Mediterranean, in high mountains at over 2000 meters altitude as well as in the immediate vicinity of the coast. The approximately 300 to 500 different species have spread all over the world and are also very popular as ornamental plants. But there is disagreement about whether the delicate perennials with their pretty flowers are poisonous or not.
Are bluebells poisonous to children?
The toxicity of many species of bellflowers has not yet been proven, but for safety reasons children should not eat the plants and flowers. Exception: The Rapunzel bellflower is definitely non-toxic and its roots are even eaten as a vegetable.
Bellflower poisonous or not? Disagreement among experts
If you take a careful look around various internet forums, you almost seem to get into a religious war about the campanula, as the bellflower is botanically correctly called. Representatives of one side insist that the plant - especially the flowers - are highly poisonous, while the other side takes the opposite view. The fact is, however, that the toxicity of many bellflower species has not yet been proven. However, for safety reasons, children and animals should not eat the plants.
Tips & Tricks
The Rapunzel bellflower (Campanula rapunculus), whose fleshy, thickened roots have been eaten as a vegetable since the Middle Ages, is definitely non-toxic.
