Lobelia

Scientific name

Lobelia L.

Common names

cardinal plant

Family

Campanulaceae

Similar genera

Cardamine, Littorella (rarely confused), Physostegia, Samolus

Native distribution

cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution

Species cultivated

Lobelia cardinalis L.

L. dortmanna L.

L. purpurascens R. Br.

L. chinensis Lour.

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

growth form variable; erect or creeping, amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
, or stem plantstem plant:
(n) (a term used in the aquarium and pond plant trade) having an elongate stem (as opposed to a compact stem)

Brief description

Perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
or annual. Stem compact or becoming erect and elongate when mature (in many species), in others creeping or as a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
, sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
, obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
to linear, entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or serrateserrate:
(adj) (of a leaf margin) bearing sharp teeth pointing forward or to the apex
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
. Flowers white, purple, red or blue; sepals subtri angularangular:
(adj) having projecting longitudinal angles; undulate, but sharply angled rather than gently rounded
; corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
tubulartubular:
(adj) (of a corolla, perianth, calyx tube or other structure) (1) tube-shaped; cylindrical: narrow and elongate with more or less straight sides; (2) having segments fused into a tube (of any shape)
, lobes 5, 2-lipped, split adaxially to base; abaxialabaxial:
(adj) the side facing away from the axis, as in the underside of a leaf
lobes spreading and reflexedreflexed:
(adj) abruptly curved or bent downward
, adaxialadaxial:
(adj) pertaining to the side facing toward the axis, as in the upper surface of a leaf
lobes erect. Dispersal by seed or stem fragments.

Natural habitat

shallow water, damp ground

Additional comments

Most Lobelia are terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
plants. Only L. dortmanna is strictly aquatic, although L. cardinalis easily grows submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
for extended periods.