lSi)S 



LOBKLIA 



LOBELIA 



BB. Beanix or hairs on all the anihcrx. Tlu' throe fol- 

 lowii))! spocios :in' probatily mit in tho Ainorii:iii 

 trailo. iilthouph tlu-y an- kiuiwn ius cult, plants. 

 The nanio.< sonii'linios (ii<-iir, but the plants whicli 

 thoy ropn\sont an^ probably forms of L. Eriiiua. 

 The ilosoriptions will enable the .student to dis- 

 tinguish wliether the speeie.s oeeur. 

 '2. gricilis, .\niir. i.L. triijoiiocniitij:, Hook.). .\ foot or 



los-s hi};h. sloniler, deeuinbent at the b:v>e, glabrous: 



lower Ivs. ovate and ileeply out, the iip))er ones narrower 



and pinnatifid (.beeoinins linear ami entire at the top 



of the St.): fls. '-..-^jin. across, blue with a whitish eye, 



the middle lower lobe 



strvingly obovate, the 2 



upper lobes small and 



ourv-cd and usually hairy ; 



fl.K-luster long and open, 



more or less 1-sided: seed 



aiigleil, not winged. New 



S.Wales. B.M. 741:5088. 

 :i. heterophylla, Labill. 



Much like the last, but 



fls. larger (the n\i<ldle lobe 



nearly 1 in. long), and the 



lower Ivs. parted into 



Imear 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 upi)er 



Ivs. linear and mostly 



entire: fls. rather large, 



bright blue, borne far apart 



on verj- slender pedicels, 



the middle lobe much the 



largest and obovate: seetl 



smooth and shining, com- 

 pressed. \V. Austral. B.M. 



;}784 (as L. hilcrophylln). 



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



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



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



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



26:385. — It has received 



new attention in recent 



years. 



AA. Plant perennial (rarely 

 biennial), uxually tail 

 or slricl-grouing . 



B. Corolla very unequally 

 bilabiale or 2-lipped, 

 the lower lip S-lohed 

 and dejlexeil, the up- , 

 per lip very small. 

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



5. Ealmii, Linn. .\ slender perennial (sometimes 

 biennial ?K f>-18 in. high, glabrous, branched: Ivs. nar- 

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

 dentic\ilate: fls. small (]4iit. long), very light blue, in 

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

 and slop<si 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 simi)le: Ivs. thin, oblong- 

 oval to lanceolate, attenuate to the apex but the point 

 mfwtly blunt, small-<ientate or crenate-denticulate, nar- 

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

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

 tube about ^in. long; calyx hairv and enlarging in fr.. 



2190. Lobelia cardinalis. (pi. X'A) 



the lance-acuminale lobes consi)icuous, and bearing 

 auricles in the simises. Moist places, eastern states 

 (Maine to La.). B.R. 537; 32:() (nt^ L.filnnrlulo.ta). 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 

 while). 



7. cardinalis, Linn. C"ardinal Flower. Indian 

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

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

 varying from oblong-ovate to lanceolate, tapering both 

 ways, the petiole very .short or none, margin irregularly 

 serrate: fls. bright intense cardin.al (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 

 "ittle exceeding the pedicels; calyx hemispherical, the 

 tube much shorter than the long-linear lobes: seeds 



istinctlv tuberculate. Wet places, as in swales. New 

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

 1 :1H7. — One of the most show>' 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. leiensis, Raf.). Like L. 

 citrdinali.'i, but more slender, the Ivs. narrower and 

 glandular-denticulate, mostly sessile: seeds little tuber- 

 culate. wet places, Texas, west and south. 



9. fiilgens, Willd. (L. formbsa, Hort. L. cardinalis, 

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

 red and more showy, the 3 hibes 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 alro- 

 sanguiiica probably belongs to this species. L. 

 cardinalis Nan.'icniann, a purple-carmine .sort, is 

 probably L. fulgens. In Eu., Lobelia fulgens 

 is one of the i)opular 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 

 sunmier border. They may also be planted in the open 

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

 be rai.sed from divisions of the old plants, or from offsets, 

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

 and they shoidd 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 an<l L. cardinalis are confused 

 amongst ganleners. Ij. syphitilica has also, apparently, 

 entered into some of these hybrid derivatives, particu- 

 larly those with blue or i)urple colors, and L. ammna is 

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

 These hybrids are sometimes known collectively as L. 

 hylrrida and L. perennis hyhridn. Two recent forms 

 deserve separate mention (Nos. II, 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 



