LOASA 



LOBELIA 



935 



bands, with 5 yellow spots outside. New Grenada. 

 B.Jl. 6410. LH. 25:302. R.H. 18M, p. 233. 

 BB. Petals hrioh-red, 

 laterltia, Gill. Without stinging hairs; stem scarcely 

 any: Ivs. opposite, loiig-petioled,pinnatisect; segments 

 rotundate, crenately lolied: peduncles twin, l-llil., ter- 

 minal, ahout as long as the leaf: calyx lobes oval, longer 

 than the corolla tube, lialf shorter tlian the corolla. 

 Cliile. Tlie above description is from tho original one. 

 A much confused plant (see addenda of Ind. Kew 

 under Loasa and Blunienbachia; also equivocal pas- 

 sages in Engler & Prantl Pll. Fam. 3:Ca:118, 110, Lief- 

 erung 100). The stinging vine 10-20 ft. Iiigh pictured 

 in B^BL 3032 as L. lateriiia, is a Blumenbachia, of tho 

 section Raphisanthe. L. aiirantlaca, Hort., is usually 

 given as a synonj'ni of L. laferilui in botanies, but is 

 kept separate in the trade. 



LOBfiLIA (Matthias von Lobel, or L'Obel, 1538-1010, 

 a Flemish botanist and author. Latinized LoboUus). 

 /jobeliAcece ( by some combined with the Campcin uliicece). 

 More than 200 herbs (or sometimes subshrubs in the 

 tropics) of wide distribution in temperate and tropical 

 regions, comprising many species with very showy 

 tlowers. Corolla gamopetalous and tubular, split down 

 one side; lobes 5, the 3 on the lower side (as tlio fl. 

 stands) somewhat united and forming a lip, the other 2 

 (1 on either side of the cleft or split) erect or turned 

 liacli ; calyx short-tubular or globular, joined to the 

 ovary, .short-toothed ; stamens 5, united into a tube 

 around the single stylo, the tube often protruding from 

 the cleft into the corolla: fr. a 2-valved cajisnle. The 

 tlowers are blue, red or yellowish, on 1-fld. pedicels, which 

 are arranged in a terminal racinie. Lvs. alternate, 

 mostly narrow. 



There are two hortieultm-al groups of Lobelias,— the 

 annuals and the perennials. The annuals are low, nor- 

 mally blue-lid. species suitable for bedding and edgings. 

 They are of the easiest culture eitln'r from seeds or 

 cuttings. See i. AV/iiHS (No. 1). The perennials are 

 again of two types,— the hardy and the half-hardy or 

 tender. Tho hardy kinds are natives, of which L. car- 

 dinalis and L. syphilitica are the leading representa- 

 tives. These inhabit bogs and low places, and the best 

 results under cult, are to he expected in moist and 

 cool spots. The half-hardy sorts are chiefly derivatives 

 .if the Mexican L. fnliinni, a plant which is deservedly 

 popular in the Old World, but wiiich has not attained 

 CTeat favor here. Those species may be bedded out in 

 the northern states. They are carried over winter in 

 pots or in a cellar. Tliey usually give good results the 

 first vear from seed, it started early; or seeds nuiy bo 

 sown'inthe fall and tlie plants carried over in a frame. 

 The hardiness of the hybrid perennial Lobelias in this 

 country is yet to be determined. It is prol)able that 

 forms of L. fiilgens will stand outdoors in the middle 

 states if given winter protection. In the latitude of 

 Washington they are liardy in winter but are scarcely 

 aljle to withstand the summers. 



INDEX. 



alba, 1 c, 6. Goldelse, 1 b. Paxtoniana 1 c. 



alrosangiUnca.d. Golden Queen, 1 b. perennis. 10. 



Iiicolor.l- gracilis, 1, 2. pumda. 1 a. 



c-mlinaiis, 7. Ki'ai"liH'>ra. 1 c. Qneen Victoria, 9. 



CamniUesii, 13. hetemiihylla, 1, 3, 4. rnmosa, 4. 



compacta, 1 a. h.vhriOa, 10. Kivoirei, 12. 



erecta, 1 a. Kalmii, 5. specjosa, 1 c. 



Erinns, 1. Kermesina, 1 c. splendens, 8. 



FndUei,'H. laxitlnra, 1:1. syphilitica, 6. 



frirmosa, 0. ' Lindleyana, 1 c. tenuior, 4. 



fnlgens, 0. Lugdunensis, 11. tricolor, 1 c. 



tlerardi, 11. marmorata, 1 c. Tupa, 14, 



glaiidulosa, C. Naiiseniana, 0. 



A. Plant annual (or .to treated), low and diffuse- 

 growing. 

 n. Beards or hairy tufts on only the two lower anthers. 

 1. Erlnus, Linn. (i.7i(;f«rop7?7;??(7, Hort., sometimes, not 

 Labill. i. r/j-dci/j.'i, Hort., not Andr. L. hicolor, Biras). 

 Figs. 1307-8. Diffuse and half-trailing annual or per- 

 ennial, much used for edgings. Glabrous or slightly 

 hairy below, G-12 in. high: lvs. variable, the lower ones 

 obtuse and obovate or spatnlate and crenate-toothed, 

 the upper ones oblanceolate or oblong Hiecoming linear 



1307. Lobeha Erinus. 



Natural size. 



and acute near the top of the stem, and mostly sharp- 

 angle-toothcd: lis. y^-'A in. across, on slender pedicels, 

 light blue with a lighter center; the calyx lobes awl- 

 like, spreading, as long as the corolla tube; 3 lower 

 lobes of corolla large and spreading. S. Afr. B. M. 

 514, 901. — One of the commonest of all annual edging 

 ]>!ants, particularly for early season effects. In our hot 

 clinuite, it often ceases blooming in midsummer, but 

 with good soil, plenty of water, and occasional catting 

 back, it will bloom till frost. Seeds 

 sown in .January and February will ,, , 

 give blooming plants by April and 

 I\lay. For fls. alone, rather than 

 for edgings, the seeds may be 

 started later, or even sown in the 

 oi>en ground. For definite results 

 in edgings, however, it is usually 

 better to start from cuttings. In 

 the fall, lift the best plants and 

 grow them in pots through the 

 winter as stocks from wliich to se- 

 cure citttings. Ctittings taken in 

 late January or February sliould 

 give bloouiing plants hj ]\la}-. 

 Seedlings vary, and one cannot 

 relyonthetu for specific effects in design work, although 

 they may be best for the amateur who desires only fls. 

 Some strains of see<ls, however, come very true. Lo- 

 belia Erinns is also a good pot-plant for the winter con- 

 servatory. 



Lobelia- Erinns is exceedingly variable. Tho forms 

 fall into three groups: 



(a) Variation in liabil : Var. compacta or er§cta, 

 dense-growing forms suitable for low, close edgings: 

 subvaricties are blue, white, etc. The most popular 

 bedding forms belong to this strain. The name ereeta 

 is often used for the taller strains. Var, grdcilis, with 

 slender growth and suitable for vases or baskets : 

 blue. Var. pitmila. Very dwarf. 



[h) \'ariation in color of foliage: Golden Queen 

 and Goldelse, with yellowish foliage. Also forms 

 with bronzy foliage, but not constant. 



(c) Variation in color and size of fls.: Var. dlba, 

 white. Var. J16re plfino, double. R.H. 1875:71. Var. 

 grandifldra. Various large-Hd. forms. Var. Kerme- 

 sina. Crimson. Var. Lindleyina. Rose-c"lor, with 

 white eye. Var. marmorita. Fls. marided. Var. Pax- 

 touiina'. Light blue with white eye : growth straf;gling. 

 Var. Royal Purple. Purple-blue. Var. speci6sa. 

 Large-tld., liglit azure blue, with white eye, Var. 

 tricolor. Fls. blue or pink, with white eye and car- 

 mine spots. 

 BB. Beards or hairs on all the anthers. The three fol- 

 lowing species are probably not in the Amer. trade, 

 althougli they are known as cult, plants. The 

 n:inies sometimes occur, but tlie plants wliich they 

 represent are proliably forms of Jj. Erinus. But 

 the descriptions will enable the student to distin- 

 guish whether the species occur. 

 2. gracilis, Andr. A foot or less high, slender, decum- 

 bent at tlie base, glaljrous: lower lvs. ovate and deeply 

 cut, the upper ones narrower and pinnatifld (becoming 



■^X-jP-'i^ 



1308. Lobelia Erinus. 

 One of the most popular edging plants. 



linear and entire at the top of the stem) : fls. yi-% in. 

 across, blue with a whitish eye, the middle lower lobe 

 strongly obovate, the 2 upper lobes small and curved and 

 usually hairy: fl. -cluster long and open, more or less 

 1-sided: seed angled, not winged. Austral. B.M. 741. 



