Platycodon, commonly called Chinese bellflower, is a genus of flowering plant in the bellflower family (Campanulaceae), native to East Asia. The only member of the genus is Platycodon grandiflorus.
Chinese bellflower produces five-petaled, star-shaped flowers that are blue, purple, pink, or white in color. A notable feature is the bud, which swells like a balloon before opening into a star-shaped flower, earning the flower another common name - balloon flower (which is also a tag, but for literal balloons). The roots of the plant are edible and used in cooking.
Not to be confused with balloon flower, a flower made by tying up a balloon. Also not to be confused with flower balloon, a flower-shaped balloon.
