platycodon
Platycodon A.DC.
A genus overview; characteristics vary between its species.
Platycodon brings together a thick underground root and conspicuous flowers on upright, leafy stems. The genus has a single accepted species, Platycodon grandiflorus, familiar in gardens well beyond its East Asian homeland. Flora of China describes its root as thickened and carrotlike, a substantial perennial structure beneath the seasonal shoots. Kew POWO: PlatycodonFlora of China: Platycodon
Botanical name
Platycodon A.DC. is an accepted genus in Campanulaceae. Kew recognises one species, P. grandiflorus; this record retains the catalog’s genus rank. Kew POWO: Platycodon
Recognizing the plant
Leaves grow along the stem rather than forming only a basal rosette. Their arrangement can be alternate, opposite or in whorls of three or four. Large terminal flowers have a bowl-shaped corolla divided into five lobes and five separate stamens. The seed capsule opens at its tip into five sections, releasing numerous dark, elongated seeds. In P. grandiflorus, the corolla is usually blue or purple, occasionally pink or white. Flora of China: PlatycodonFlora of China: Platycodon grandiflorus
Seasonality across the genus
China
Flora of China records flowering in July–September and fruiting in August–October for the genus’s sole species, P. grandiflorus. Flora of China: Platycodon grandiflorus
Native range
The genus is native from southeastern Siberia through China and Korea to Japan. Flora of China records its sole species in sunny herbaceous vegetation and thickets, less often in forests, below 2,000 metres. Kew POWO: PlatycodonFlora of China: Platycodon grandiflorus
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.