Harebells are easily recognized by their delicate, bell-shaped, blue flowers that hang downwards suspended from thin, wiry flower stems. The scientific name, rotundifolia, meaning round-leafed, is misleading, as when the plant is in flower the most obvious leaves are long and narrow. Plants usually grow in clumps, rather than singly, and the splashes of blue formed by patches of harebell flowers are easy to spot in late summer and early autumn.