Black rampion

The black rampion (Phyteuma nigrum) is among the endemic plants found in the Bohemian Massif. It is widely found on mountain meadows and pastures in the Bohemian Forest (Šumava). A member of the bellflower (Campanulaceae) family, it is a perennial plant that reaches heights of 20–60 cm, with an erect, hairless stem that grows no leaves on the upper half. The leaf blade is heart-shaped at the base, with a notched to sawn edge, and twice as long as it is wide. The blade of the bottom-stem leaves is truncate to cuneate at the base. Flowers are black-violet, while the inflorescence is a cylindrical spike. The black-violet flower heads can be spotted on Šumava’s meadows from May through July. The black rampion is found on dry-to-humid, even peaty meadows, as well as on forest edges, where it grows on neutral to slightly acidic soil that is non-calcareous, i.e. usually, sandy loam.