Rampion secures a special place in literature. We find the mention of rampion in one of the Tales of Grimm, in which the heroine Rapanzel is named after the flower and the story revolves round the theft of a rampion flower from a magician’s garden.

Rampion is a well known flower which was widely grown in kitchen gardens in olden times and was savoured as a vegetable. Presently it is valued for its exquisite flowers and is extensively used for landscaping and to decorate garden borders. The flowers, which blossom in July and August, are primarily purple in colour but shades of pale blue, pink or white are also available. Each flower bears a deep narrow corolla which contains five lobes.

Though the fleshy roots are still consumed in some parts, it is regarded somewhat inferior in quality to other edible roots. Both the roots and the leaves are used in salads in winter. It is believed that a liquid made from the roots of rampion is effective for curing mouth inflammations.

The flower gets its name from the Latin specific name ‘Rapunculus’ and belongs to the genus of ‘phytema’ which again is found to have 40-45 species of flowering plants. A perennial herb, it can be easily cultivated in any soil but thrives best in moist and sandy ones. It is primarily found in Europe and Central Asia.