936 



LOBELIA 



LOBELIA 



3. heterophylla, Labill. Much like the last, but fls. 

 larger, (the middle lobe nearly 1 in. long) and the lower 

 leaves parted into linear lobes : seed winged. Austral. 

 B.R. 23:2014. P.M. 9:101. 



4. t6nuior, R. Br. (L. ramdsa, Benth.). Erect or as- 

 cending, 12-18 in., pubescent: lower Ivs. small, mostly 

 ternately divided, the upper Ivs. linear and mostly en- 

 tire: fls. rather large, bright blue, borne far apart on 

 very slender pedicels, the middle lobe much the largest 

 and obovate: seed smooth and shining, compressed. 

 Austral. B.M. 3784 (as L. heterophylla). B. 2:93. R.H. 

 1856:281. G.C. II. 15:105. 



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 upper lip very 

 small, 

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



5. Kalmii, Linn. A slender perennial (sometimes bi- 

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

 row-spatulate to linear at the top of the stem, remotely 

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

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

 and slopes and margins of bogs, in N. states: propagat- 

 ing by offsets. B.M. 2238. -Sold by dealers in nativ 

 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 % in. long ; calyx hairy and enlarging in 



fruit, the lance-acuminate 

 lobes conspicuous, and bear- 

 ing auricles in the sinuses. 

 Moist places, E. states. 

 B.R. 7:537; 32:6 (as L. 

 glandulosa). Mn. 7: 61. 

 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. 



c;. Species: flowers in 

 shades of red (or yellow 

 or very rarely white). 

 7. cardinalis, Linn. CAR- 

 DINAL, FLOWER. INDIAN 

 PINK. Fig. 1309. 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 nar- 

 row and the upper ones lit- 

 tle exceeding the pedicels ; 

 calyx hemispherical, the 

 tube much shorter than the 

 long-linear lobes: seeds dis- 

 tinctly tuberculate. Wet 

 places, as in swales, eastern 

 N. Amer. B.M. 320. G.W. 

 F. 41. One of the most 

 showy of all native flowers, 

 and worthy of cult, in any 

 moist border. It has been long in cultivation, but has 

 probably given no important horticultural forms. 



8. sptendens, Willd. Like L. cardinalis, but more 

 slender, the Ivs. narrower and glandular denticulate, 



mostly sessile: seeds little tuberculate. Wet place; 

 Tex., W. and S. Once adv. by Saul. 



9. fulgens, Willd. (L. formdsa, Hort. L. cardinalh 

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

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

 plant mostly pubescent ^ at least the foliage), and var 

 ously tinged or spotted with brown or bronze: bract 

 more leafy. Mex. B.M. 4002 (as L. splendens, var. atn 

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

 Not hardy without protection in the N. It has given ris 

 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. The recent L. cardinalis 

 Nanseniana,n. purple -carmine sort, 

 is probably L. fulgens. In Europe, 

 this Lobelia is one of the popular 

 bedding plants, but it has never 

 gained popularity in Amer. In this 

 country it is usually grown in pots 

 and treated as a conservatory sub- 

 ject. 



1309. Lobelia cardinalis. 



(XH-) 



CCC. Species - hybrids or deriva- 

 tives : fls. mostly in shades 

 of red, pink or purple. 



10. hybrida, Hort. The hybrid 

 Lobelias are mostly of French ori- 

 gin, and they are little known in 

 the Amer. trade, although they are 

 occasionally imported by amateurs. 

 It is doubtful if they will endure 

 the winters of the northern states, 

 although they make excellent pot 

 subjects for blooming in the sum- 

 mer border. They may also be 



planted in the open and lifted on 1310. Lobelia Rivoir 

 the approach of winter : or new stock (XY ) 



can be raised from divisions of 

 the old plants, or from offsets, or from seeds. Many o 

 these hybrids are most showy, and they should be bet 

 ter known in Amer. It is probable that they are de 

 rived chiefly from L. fulgens, although they are said t( 

 come largely from L. cardinalis, but L. fulgens and L 

 cardinalis are confused amongst gardeners. L. syphi 

 litica has also, apparently, entered into some of thest 

 hybrid derivatives, particularly those with blue or pur 

 pie colors. These hybrids are "sometimes known collec 

 tively as L. hybrida and L. perennis hybrida. Two re 

 cent forms deserve separate mention: 



11. Gerardi, Hort. Habitof L. fulgens or L. cardinalis: 

 Ivs. lanceolate or lance-oblong, glabrous, denticulate: 

 fls. in a heavy terminal spike or raceme, rich violet. 

 IX in. or more long. Obtained by Chabanne and Gou 

 jon of the Botanic Garden of Lyons, and introduced tc 

 the trade in 1895 by Rivoire Pere et Fils, Lyons. The 

 hispid calyx suggests L. syphilitica. R.B. 22, p. 112. 

 I.H. 42, p. 268. It varies into rose-color (var. Lugdu- 

 n6nsis) and into coral-red, violet-purple, and the like. 

 The pistillate parent was a form of L. syphilitica and 

 the staminate parent was the Queen Victoria " form of 

 L. fulgens. The plant was named for M. Gerard, direc- 

 tor of the botanical collection at Lyons. 



12. Kivdirei, Hort. (Fig. 1310), comprises still more 

 recent types, with very large rose or pink fls. Gn. 

 56:1238, which plate represents several derivative Lo- 

 belias. G.C. III. 24:233. 



BB. Corolla somewhat equally 2-lipped, the lower lip 

 only notched, the upper one 2-parted. 



13. laxifldra, HBK. (L. Cavanillesii, Mart. Sypho- 

 cdmpylus bicolor, Don). Tall, branching herb or sub- 

 shrub, with thinly hairy stems: Ivs. lanceolate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, acuminate, sharp-denticulate: fls. nodding, 

 on long, axillary pedicels, 1% in. long, cylindrical, the 

 stamens projecting from the side, red and yellow, pu- 

 bescent. Mex. B.M. 3600. G.C. III. 1:585. -An old 

 plant requiring cool greenhouse culture, or thriving in 

 the open in pots. It may also be planted out like L. 

 fulgens. 



