Choruhian Bellflower

The Choruhian Bellflower (Campanula choruhensis) is an Endangered perennial plant in the family Campanulaceae, endemic to the Çoruh (Chorokhi) River valley in northeastern Turkey and adjacent parts of Georgia. Campanula is one of the largest genera in Campanulaceae, comprising approximately 500 species of bellflowers across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, characterised by their typically bell-shaped (campanulate) blue, violet, or white flowers with five petals fused into a tube. The Choruhian Bellflower occupies rocky cliff faces, scree slopes, and gorge walls within the Çoruh River canyon — a habitat of exceptional biodiversity supporting numerous endemic and range-restricted plant species. The Çoruh basin is particularly remarkable botanically as a refuge for Tertiary relict flora and a centre of endemism for plants adapted to the unique microclimate and geology of its dramatic limestone and shale gorges. The species faces severe and ongoing habitat loss from the construction of a series of large hydroelectric dams on the Çoruh River, which has progressively inundated the gorge habitat over recent decades. The IUCN classifies it as Endangered given this direct and irreversible loss of habitat. Ex situ conservation through seed banking and botanical garden cultivation is essential to safeguard the genetic heritage of this endemic against extinction.