260 LOBELIA FAMILY. 



LXII. LOBELIACEiE, LOBELIA FAMILY. 



Plants with milky, acrid juice, alternate, simple leaves, and 

 scattered, racemed or panicled flowers ; the calyx tube adherent 

 to the many-seeded ovary and pod; the corolla irregularly 

 5-lobed and mostly split down, as it were, on the upper side ; 

 the 5 stamens united into a tube commonly by their filaments 

 and always by their anthers ; style only one. 



1. LOBELIA. (Named after the herbalist De V Obel or Lobel.) Tube 

 of the calyx and 2-celled pod short. Corolla split down on one side, 

 the 5 lobes more or less irregular or unequal. Two or all 5 anthers 

 bearded at top. (Lessons, Fig. 285.) 



* Corolla normally deep red; stems tall and simple. 



L. cardinalia, Linn. CAnniNAi- Flower. Leaves lance-oblong ; ra- 

 ceme erect, of large and showy flowers, which are very rarely rose-colored 

 or even white. @ 21 Cult. 



* * Flowers blue or with some tohite in the throat. 



■*- Stems very diffuse, almost trailing. 



L. Er)nus, Linn. The common low and spreading little Lobelia of 

 conservatories and summer gardens, variable, grown under many names ; 

 flowers abundant, small, azure-blue, usually white in the throat ; upper 

 leaves narrow, toothed, the lowest spatulate. ® Cape of Good Hope. 



t- 1- Stems strict. 



•M. Flowers rather large (J' or more long) ; stems always leafy. 



L. syphilitica, Linn. Slightly hairy, l°-3° high, leafy, with ovate- 

 oblong irregularly toothed leaves, dense leafy raceme, hairy calyx, and 

 corolla (sometimes whitish) almost 1' long. Low grounds. 21 



L. pub^rula, Michx. Minutely soft-downy, with blunter and finer- 

 toothed leaves, and rather 1-sided spike of smaller deeper-blue flowers. 

 N. J., S. and W. 2Z 



++ ++ Flowers small ; stems bracteate or only sparingly leafy. 



L. spicata. Lam. Smoothish, with long and wand-like stems l°-3° 

 high, lowest leaves obovate, upper ones narrow and small and close, 

 naked raceme of very small flowers. Common. (2) 21 



L. Kdlmii, Linn. Smooth, with branching stems 6'-12' high, obovate 

 root-leaves, few and lanceolate or linear stem-leaves, a loose raceme of 

 slender-pediceled, small, but handsome, bright^blue flowers, and obo- 

 vate pods. (2) 21 Wet banks N. 



L. inflata, Linn. Indian Tobacco. Somewhat hairy, 9'-18' high, 

 much branched, with ovate toothed leaves, and spike-like leafy racemes 

 of small flowers, the pale blue corolla only 2" long, and pod inflated. ® 

 Common in fields ; a noted quack medicine. 



L. paluddsa, Nutt. Stem slender and scape-like, with one or two 

 bracts ; leaves fleshy and scattered at the base of the stem, narrow-spatu- 

 late, the margins glandular ; flowers azure or nearly white, the lower lip 

 bearded. In water, Del., S. 



