WILD FLOWERS blue and purple 



at the throat. The upper lip has two upright parts, and 

 the stamens peek from between them. This Lobelia is 

 found in grassy colonies from Nova Scotia to New 

 Jersey, and westward to Ohio, Michigan and Manitoba. 



INDIAN TOBACCO. WILD TOBACCO. GAG-ROOT. 

 ASTHMA WEED. BLADDER-POD LOBELIA 



Lobelia inflata. Lobelia Family. 



This very common annual grows from one to three 

 feet high along roadsides and in neglected fields, 

 and blossoms from July to November. All parts of 

 this Lobelia are medicinal, and Shakers and herb 

 dealers prepare and sell it in oblong, compressed cakes. 

 The plant, however, is considered to be somewhat 

 poisonous, and if the leaves or capsules are chewed 

 for a short time, they produce a sensation of giddi- 

 ness, then headache, and finally nausea and vomiting. 

 If swallowed it produces more serious results, and has 

 been known to have caused death. The Indians are 

 said to have used the foliage as tobacco. In more 

 modern practice it has been employed as a remedy in 

 various affections of the throat, including acute attacks 

 of catarrh, croup and asthma. The upright stalk is 

 leafy, often slightly hairy, rather stout and branching. 

 The thin alternating leaves are oval or oblong in shape, 

 with short- pointed ends and toothed margins. The 

 upper ones clasp the stalk and become smaller and 

 narrower as they approach the top. The flowers are 

 quite small, light blue in colour, and are set on tiny 

 stems, generally in the axil of a leaflet. They are formed 



373 



