How to distinguish between bellflower and lily of the valley

Distinction between families and genus

Campanula belongs to the Campanulaceae family and the Campanula genus.

Lily of the valley belongs to the Liliaceae family and the Convallaria genus.

Bellflower belongs to the Campanulaceae family and the Campanulaceae genus.

Morphological characteristics

Morphological characteristics of lily of the valley: Lily of the valley is a perennial herb. The plant height is about 20~30 cm. Leaves are basal, erect, and shiny. The flowers are small, bell-shaped, white, drooping and fragrant.

Morphological characteristics of bellflower: Bellflower is a perennial herb. The root is cylindrical and fleshy. The stem is erect, 20 to 120 cm high. The leaves are opposite, sometimes in whorls of 3, about 2 to 7 cm long, ovate to ovate-lanceolate in shape, with serrated edges. The flowers are single or several are born at the end of the branches. The corolla is bell-shaped, blue-purple or white, and the lobes are triangular.

Difference in flowering and fruiting period

The flowering (fruiting) period of bellflower: flowering period is from July to September.

The flowering (fruiting) period of lily of the valley: the flowering period is generally from April to May, and the fruiting period is from June to July.

The flowering (fruiting) period of Campanula is from April to June.