Perennial of the Campanulaceae family, widely spread in the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Europe, from the Alps to the Carpathians and the northern Apennines. It colonizes alpine meadows, poor grasslands, stabilized screes, and grassy rockeries, generally between 1,200 and 2,800 meters in altitude, on various substrates, calcareous or siliceous.
It forms light and graceful clumps, 15 to 35 cm in height, with thin stems, erect or slightly inclined, often solitary or sparsely branched. The basal leaves are long-petioled, oval to heart-shaped and crenate, while the cauline leaves are narrowly linear to lanceolate and sessile, slightly clasping the stem. This contrast between basal and cauline leaves is a distinctive feature useful in the field.
The flowers are large hanging bells, of a deep blue-violet to violet-blue hue, borne singly or in very small numbers at the top of the slender stems. Their generous size and sustained hue make it one of the most elegant alpine bellflowers in its natural form.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to September depending on altitude. In cultivation, it generally occurs from June to August.
It adapts to ordinary well-drained soils, in sunny to light partial shade exposure. Hardy and undemanding, it is suitable for natural rockeries and mountain gardens, where its airy silhouette and nodding bells blend very naturally.