WILD FLOWERS BLUE AND PURPLE 
atthe 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 
Lobélia 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 aleaflet. They are formed 
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