1898 



LOBELIA 



LOBELIA 



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

 lowing species are probably not in the Americ'an 

 trade, although they are known as cult, plants. 

 The names sometimes occur, but the plants which 

 they represent are probably forms of L. Erinus. 

 The descriptions will enable the student to dis- 

 tinguish whether the species occur. 



2. gracilis, Andr. (L. trigonocaulis, Hook.). A foot or 

 less high, slender, decumbent at the base, glabrous: 

 lower Ivs. ovate and deeply cut, the upper ones narrower 

 and pinnatifid (becoming linear and entire at the top 

 of the st.): fls. 3^-^in. across, blue with a whitish eye, 

 the middle lower lobe 



strongly obovate, the 2 

 upper lobes small and 

 curved and usually hairy; 

 fl. -cluster long and open, 

 more or less 1-sided: seed 

 angled, not winged. New 

 S.Wales. B.M. 741; 5088. 



3. heterophylla, Labill. 

 Much like the last, but 

 fls. larger (the middle lobe 

 nearly 1 in. long), and the 

 lower Ivs. parted into 

 linear lobes: seed winged. 

 W. Austral. B.R. 2014. 

 P.M. 9:101. 



4. tenuior, R. Br. (L. 

 ramosa, Benth.). Fig. 

 2189. Erect or ascending, 

 12-18 in., pubescent: lower 

 Ivs. small, mostly ter- 

 nately divided, the upper 

 Ivs. linear and mostly 

 entire: fls. rather large, 

 bright blue, borne far apart 

 on very slender pedicels, 

 the middle lobe much the 

 largest and obovate: seed 

 smooth and shining, com- 

 pressed. W. Austral. B.M. 

 3784 (as L. heterophylla). 

 B. 2:93. R.H. 1856:281; 

 1905:192. G.C. II. 15: 

 105; III. 29:46. H.F. 

 7:27. G.W. 10, p. 2. G. 

 26:385. It has received 

 new attention in recent 

 years. 



AA. Plant perennial (rarely 



biennial), usually tall 



or strict-growing. 

 B. Corolla very unequally 



bilabiate or 2-lipped, 



the lower lip 3-lobed 



and deflexed. the up- ' 



per lip very small. 219 Lobelia c dinalis - &> X H) 



c. Species: fls. blue (sometimes varying to white). 



5. Kalmii, Linn. A slender perennial (sometimes 

 biennial ?), 6-18 in. high, glabrous, branched: Ivs. nar- 

 row-spat ulate to linear at the top of the st., remotely 

 denticulate: fls. small (Mjn. long), very light blue, in 

 a long, loose raceme, on filiform pedicels. On wet banks 

 and slopes and margins of bogs, in northern states, Ont., 

 Nova Scotia: prop, by offsets. B.M. 2238. Sold by 

 dealers in native plants. Useful for bog-planting. 



6. syphilitica, Linn. Strong, weedy herb, 2-3 ft., gla- 

 brous or nearly so, mostly simple: Ivs. thin, oblong- 

 oval to lanceolate, attenuate to the apex but the point 

 mostly blunt, small-dentate or crenate-denticulate, nar- 

 rowed into a very short petiole: fls. about 1 in. long in a 

 long, wand-like, racemose spike, blue or purplish, the 

 tube about Hin. long; calyx hairv and enlarging in fr., 



the lance-acuminate lobes conspicuous, and bearing 

 auricles in the sinuses. Moist places, eastern states 

 (MainetoLa.). B.R. 537; 32:6 (asL. glandulosa). Mn. 

 7:61. Gn.M. 5:344. Var. alba, Hort., has nearly 

 white fls. Interesting plant for bog-gardens and moist 

 borders. In dry soils it will grow, but with less vigor. 



cc. Species: fls. in shades of red (or yellow or very rarely 

 white). 



7. cardinalis, Linn. CARDINAL FLOWER. INDIAN 

 PINK. Fig. 2190. Straight-growing, glabrous or very 

 nearly so, 2-4 ft. tall, usually unbranched: Ivs. narrow, 

 varying from oblong-ovate to lanceolate, tapering both 

 ways, the petiole very short or none, margin irregularly 

 serrate: fls. bright intense cardinal (rarely varying to 

 white), the tube 1 in. long, the 3 lower lobes very nar- 

 row, the fls. borne in a long racemose spike in which 

 the bracts are mostly very narrow and the upper ones 

 little exceeding the pedicels; calyx hemispherical, the 

 tube much shorter than the long-linear lobes: seeds 

 distinctly tuberculate. Wet places, as in swales. New 

 Bruns. to Sask., and Fla. B.M. 320. G. 2:447. Gn.M. 

 1 : 187. One of the most showy of all native fls., and 

 worthy of cult, in any moist border. It has been long 

 in cult., but has apparently given no important horti- 

 cultural forms. 



8. splendens, Willd. (L. texensis, Raf.). Like L. 

 cardinalis, but more slender, the Ivs. narrower and 

 glandular-denticulate, mostly sessile: seeds little tuber- 

 culate. Wet places, Texas, west and south. 



9. fulgens, Willd. (L. formosa, Hort. L. cardinalis, 

 Hort., in part). Very like the last, but fls. larger, deeper 

 red and more showy, the 3 lobes of the lower lip broader: 

 plant mostly pubescent (at least the foliage), and vari- 

 ously tinged or spotted with brown or bronze: bracts 

 more leafy. Mex. B.M. 4002 (as L. splendens var. atro- 

 sanguinea). Long in cult, and a most desirable plant. 

 Not hardy without protection in the N. It has given 

 rise to many horticultural forms, some of which (as 



"Queen Victoria") are commonly referred to L. 

 cardinalis. The trade name L. cardinalis atro- 

 sanguinea probably belongs to this species. L. 

 cardinalis Nanseniana, a purple-carmine sort, is 

 probably L. fulgens. In Eu., Lobelia fulgens 

 is one of the popular bedding plants, but it has 

 never gained popularity in Amer. In this coun- 

 try it is usually grown in pots and treated as 

 a conservatory subject. 



ccc. Species-hybrids or derivatives: fls. mostly in shades 

 of red, pink or purple. 



10. hybrida, Hort. The hybrid garden lobelias are 

 mostly of French origin, and they are little known in 

 the American trade, although they are occasionally 

 imported by amateurs. It is doubtful whether they will 

 endure the winters of the northern states, although 

 they make excellent pot subjects for blooming in the 

 summer border. They may also be planted in the open 

 and lifted on the approach of winter: or new stock can 

 be raised from divisions of the old plants, or from offsets, 

 or from seeds. Many of these hybrids are most showy, 

 and they should be better known in Amer. It is proba- 

 ble that they are derived chiefly from L. fulgens, 

 although they are said to come largely from L. cardi- 

 nalis, but L. fulgens and L. cardinalis are confused 

 amongst gardeners. L. syphilitica has also, apparently, 

 entered into some of these hybrid derivatives, particu- 

 larly those with blue or purple colors, and L. arnaena is 

 supposed by some to be involved (see suppl. list). 

 These hybrids are sometimes known collectively as L. 

 hybrida and L. perennis hybrida. Two recent forms 

 deserve separate mention (Nos. 11, 12): 



11. Gerardii, Hort. Habit of L. fulgens or L. cardi- 

 nalis: Ivs. lanceolate or lance-oblong, glabrous, denticu- 

 late: fls. in a heavy terminal spike or raceme, rich 



