Lobelia L.
cardinal plant
Campanulaceae
Cardamine, Littorella (rarely confused), Physostegia, Samolus
cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution
Lobelia cardinalis L.
L. dortmanna L.
L. purpurascens R. Br.
L. chinensis Lour.
information not available
not weedy
growth form variable; erect or creeping, amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
rosette, or stem plant
Perennial perennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
or annual. Stem compact or becoming erect and elongate when mature (in many species), in others creeping or as a basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
rosette. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
, sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
lanceolate, obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
to linear, entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
or serrateserrate:
(adj) (of a leaf margin) bearing sharp teeth pointing forward or to the apex
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
. Flowers white, purple, red or blue; sepals subtriangular; corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
tubular, lobes 5, 2-lipped, split adaxially to base; abaxialabaxial:
(adj) the side facing away from the axis, as in the underside of a leaf
lobes spreading and reflexedreflexed:
(adj) abruptly curved or bent downward
, adaxialadaxial:
(adj) pertaining to the side facing toward the axis, as in the upper surface of a leaf
lobes erect. Dispersal by seed or stem fragments.
shallow water, damp ground
Most Lobelia are terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
plants. Only L. dortmanna is strictly aquatic, although L. cardinalis easily grows submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
for extended periods.