LOBELIA 153 



Loa'sa — continued. 



L. ni'tAda. Height 2 ft. Flowers bright yellow, 

 dotted with red spots in the centre. Foliage 

 stinging and hairy. Chili, 1822. Syns., L. 

 trVcolor. 



L. tri' color. See L. ni'tida. 



L. mdcan'ica is a species forming a pyramidal bush 

 with pm-e white flowers, centred with red and 

 yellow. 18 ins. to 2 ft. high. July and 

 August. Ecuador, 1877. 



The seed may be sown -^ in. deep in sandy soil 

 in temp. 65° during February and March. Trans- 

 plant singly into 3-in. pots and grow on in 55° till 

 June, when the seedlings may be planted out. 

 Apply liquid manure when in bloom. 



Lobe'lia (named after M. Matthias de Lobel, a Flemish 

 botanist). Nat. Ord. Campanulacew. 



What are so often termed annual Lobelias are 

 the well-known tufted plants with blue flowers so 

 often seen edging " bedded-out " plants. They are 

 not true annuals, however, with the exception of L. 

 gracilis and L. tenuifolia, and if lifted into pots and 

 placed in the greenhouse they will continue flower- 

 ing for a long time during the winter. From these 

 stock plants cuttings may be taken in the spring. 

 In this way the same strain and colour is more 

 surely reproduced than if raised from seed. They 

 are mostly native of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and since their introduction have been very much 

 improved, and a large number of varieties conjured. 



