Wahlenbergia

Family Campanulaceae. Native range - New Zealand.

Perennial 8 cm tall. Porcelain-blue flowers on short pedicels slightly rise above a carpet of dark green foliage. Requires a sunny position and dry sandy soil. Tolerates liming. Zone 5-9. In temperate countries it can be grown as an annual. Sow at 20°C. If seedlings do not appear within 3-4 weeks, perform cold stratification at -4 to +4°C for 2-4 weeks

The genus Wahlenbergia is closely related to the genera Campanula and Edraianthus.

In the Southern Hemisphere the genus Campanula L is virtually absent, being replaced mainly by the genus Wahlenbergia Lam. Wahlenbergia marginata occurs in Japan, W. gracilis is found in New Caledonia, and W. dehiscens is endemic to West Bengal. In New Zealand three species grow: W. akaroa, W. violacea, W. vernicosa and five subspecies W. albomarginata subsp. decora, W. albomarginata subsp. olivina, W. congesta subsp. haastii, W. pygmaea subsp. drucei, W. pygmaea subsp. tararua.