LOASA 



bands, with 5 yellow spots outside. New (irenada. 

 B.M. 6410. I.H. 25:302. R.H. 1894, p. 2;tt. 

 BB. Petals brick-red. 

 lateritia, Gill. Without stinging hairs: stem scarcely 

 any: Ivs. opposite, long-petioled,pinnatisect; seements 

 rotundate, crenately lobed: peduncles twin, l-lid.. ter- 

 minal, about as long as the leaf: calyx lobes oval, "ionger 

 than the corolla tubi/, half shorter than the coroUa. 

 Chile. The above tlescriptiou is from the original one. 

 A much confused plant (see addenda of Ind. Kew 

 under Loasa and Bhniienbacliia; also equivocal pas- 

 sages in Engler & Prantl Pfl. Pam. ,'):Ga:lI8, 119, Lief- 

 erung 100). The stinging vine 10-20 ft. high pictured 

 in B.M. 30.32 as L. lateritia, is a Blumenb.achia, of the 

 section Raphisauthe. Ij. aurantlaea, Hort., isiisually 

 given as a synonym of L. lateritia in botanies, but is 

 kept separate in the trade. 



LOBfiLIA (Matthias von Lobel, or L'Obel, I.ISS-IGIG, 

 a Flemish botanist and author. Latinized Lubeliiis). 

 Lohelitlcefe (by some combined with the Campa n ul()ce(e) . 

 More than 200 herbs (or sometimes subshrubs in the 

 tropics) of wide distribution in temperate and tropical 

 regions, comprising many species with very showy 

 flowers. Corolla gamopetalous and tubular, split down 

 one side; lobes 5, the 3 on the lower side (as the fl. 

 stands) somewhat united and forming a lip, the other 2 

 (1 on either side of the cleft or split) erect or turned 

 back ; calyx short-tubular or globular, joined to the 

 ovary, short-toothed ; stamens 5, united into a tube 

 around the single style, the tube often protruding from 

 the cleft into the coroUa: fr. a 2-valved capsule. The 

 flowers are blue, red oryellowish, on 1-fld. pedicels, which 

 are arranged in a terminal raceme. Lvs. alternate, 

 mostly narrow. 



There are two horticultural groups of Lobelias,— the 

 annuals and the perennials. The annuals are low, nor- 

 mally blue-fld. species suitable for bedding and edgings. 

 They are of the easiest culture either from seeds or 

 cuttings. See L. iV/»?(S (No. 1). The perennials are 

 again of two types,— the hardy and the half-hardy or 

 tender. The hardy kinds are natives, of which i. ear- 

 dinalis and i. syphilitica are the leading representa- 

 tives. These inhabit bogs and low places, and the best 

 results under cult, are to be expected in moist and 

 cool spots. The half-hardy sorts are chiefly derivatives 

 of the Mexican L. fnUjeiis, a plant which is deservedly 

 popular in the Old World, but which has not attained 

 great favor here. These species may be bedded out in 

 the northern states. They are carried over winter in 

 pots or in a cellar. They usually give good results the 

 first year from seed, if started early; or seeds may be 

 sown in the fall and the plants carried over in a frame. 

 The hardiness of the hybrid perennial Lobelias in this 

 country is yet to be determined. It is probable that 

 forms of L. ful(jens will stand outdoors in the middle 

 states if given wiiiti-r protection. In the latitude of 

 Washington tlu'V an- liardy in winter but are scarcely 

 able to withstand the summers. 



INDEX. 



alba, 1 p. 6. Goldelse, lb. P.axtoiiiana Ic. 



atrosanguinea,9. Golilen Queen, 1 b. pereiuiis. W. 



bicolor, 1. gracilis, 1, 2. pumila. 1 a. 



eardinalis, 7. griinililiora, 1 e. Queen Victoria, 9. 



Cavanillesil, 13. heterox)h,vlIu, 1, 3, 4. ra.m.osa, 4. 



compacta, 1 a. hybrida. 10. Rivoirei, 12. 



erecta. 1 a. Kabnii. .'J, speciosa, 1 c. 



Erinus, 1. Kennesina, 1 e. splendens, 8. 



Feuillei, 14. laxiflora, l:f. syphilitica, 6. 



formosa, 9. Lindlevaua. 1 c. tenuior, 4. 



fulgens. 9. Liigduneiisis, 11. tricolor, 1 c. 



Gerardi, 11. marmorata, 1 c. Tupa, 14. 



glanduloaa, 6. Nanseniana, 9. 



A. Plant annual {or so treated), Inic and diffuse- 

 growing. 

 B. Beards or hairy tufts oh only the two lower anthers. 

 1. Erinus, Linn.(Z'. heteropJfi'ftla,Jlort.,sovaetime?i,not 

 Labill. i. f/n(i-i7(S, Hort., not Andr. L. bicotor, Sims). 

 Pigs. 1307-8. Diffuse and half-trailing annual or per- 

 ennial, much used for edgings. Glabrous or slightly 

 hairy below, 6-12 in. high: lvs. variable, the lower ones 

 obtuse and obovate or spatulate and crenate-toothed, 

 the upper ones oblanceolate or oblong (becoming linear 



LOKKLIA 



935 



and acute near the top of the stem, and mostly sharp- 

 angle-toothed: fls. %--U in. across, oti ^^•n(ler i>edicels, 

 light blue with a lighter center; the calyx lobes awl- 

 like, spreading, as long as the comlhi tube; 3 lower 

 lobes of corolla large and spreading. S. Afr. B.M. 

 514, 901. — One of the commonest of all annual edging 

 plants, particularh for earh season effects In oui hot 



midsummer but 

 sional cutting 



climate, it often erases bloonim^ 

 with good soil, pit nt\ < t \\ it* r iin 

 back, it will bloom till ti t Si eds 

 sown in January tnd F t bru u > w ill 

 give blooming pi mts bj Apiil and 

 May. For fls. alone rather thiu 

 for edgings, the seeds in'v\ 1 

 started later, or even sown in tin 

 open ground. For dchnite iisults 

 in edgings, howe^ er it i u ualh 

 better to start from cuttings In 

 the fall, lift the best plants and 

 grow them in pots thiou{,h the 

 winter as stocks from which to se 

 cure cuttings. Cuttings tiktn in 



late January or February shi>iild 1307 Lobelia Erinus 

 give blooming plants b> M n ^^ ,(j„ ,[ ^,^^ 



Seedlings vary, and one cannot 



rely on them for specific effects in design work, although 

 they may be best for the amateur who desires only fls. 

 Some strains of seeds, however, come very true. Lo- 

 belia Erimis is also a good pot-plant for the winter con- 

 servatory. 



Lobelia Erinus is exceedingly variable. The forms 

 fall into three groups; 



(a) Variation in habit: Var. compActa or er§cta, 

 dense-growing forms suitable for low, close edgings: 

 subvarieties are blue, white, etc. The most popular 

 bedding forms belong to this strain. The name erecta 

 is often used for the taller strains. Var. gr&cilis, with 

 slender growth and suitable for vases or baskets : 

 blue. Var. piimila. Very dwarf. 



(b) Variation in color of foliage: Golden Qdeek 

 and GOLDELSE, with yellowish foliage. Also forms 

 with bronzy foliage, but not constant. 



(c) Variation in color and size of fls.: Var. &lba, 

 white. Var. {16re pleno, double. R.H. 1875:71. Var. 

 grandifldra. Various large-fid. forms. Var. Eerme- 

 Blna. Crimson. Var. Lindleyana. Rose-color, with 

 white i-ye. V.ar. marmorata. Fls. marbled. Var. Pax- 

 toniana. Light 1. hie with wliiti-eye: growth straggling. 

 Var. Koyal Purple. Purple-iilue. Var. specidsa. 

 Large-fld., light azure blue, with white eye. Var. 

 tricolor. Pis. blue or pink, with white eye and car- 

 mine spots. 



BB. Beards or hairs on all the anthers. The three fol- 

 lowing species are probably not in the Amer. trade, 

 although they are known as cult, plants. The 

 names sometimes occur, but the plants which they 

 represent are probably forms of L. JSrimis. But 

 the descriptions will enable the student to distin- 

 guish whether the species occur. 

 2. gricilis, Andr. A foot or less high, slender, decum- 

 bent at the base, glabrous: lower lvs. ovate and deeply 

 cut, the upper ones narrower and pinnatiUd (becoming 



1308. Lobelia Erinus. 

 One of the most popular edging plants. 



linear and entire at the top of the stem) : fls. K-54 in. 

 across, blue with a whitish eye, the middle lower lobe 

 strongly obovate. the 2 upper lobes small and curved and 

 usually hairy: H. -cluster long and open, more or less 

 1-sided: seed angled, not winged. Austral. B.M. 741. 



