Lobelia cliffortiana L.

Global description

Lobelia cliffortiana is an erect plant, simple or branched, slightly pubescent or glabrous, 20-70 cm tall with smooth stem. The leaves are simple, alternate, stalked, broadly ovate, glaucous, irregularly serrated margin. The flowers are blue, purple to pale purple, bell-shaped, but split on the dorsal side. The fruits are dry capsules containing elliptical seeds.
 
Cotyledons

Cotyledons are tiny, oval to elliptical in shape, carried by short petioles.
 
First leaves

First leaves simple, alternate, forming a small rosette of soft and glaucous leaves. The leaf blade is triangular, rounded, coarsely lobed, equipped with small whitish and decurrent tines along the petiole.
 
General habit

Erect, simple or branched, puberulous or glabrous, 20-70 cm high.
 
Underground system

Taproot.
 
Stem

Stem angular, polygonal, hollow, glabrous quickly branched from the base.
 
Leaf

Leaves simple, alternate, distant from each other, carried by a petiole, 5 to 30 mm long. The lamina is oval, 2.5 to 3 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, with a rounded, obtuse, or more or less acute apex, base attenuated in corner, sometimes decurrent along the petiole, truncate, subcordate for sessile terminal leaves. The margin is irregularly and coarsely serrated, the summit of the main tines are mucronate. The venation is alternates. The surfaces are glabrous, the lower surface is yellow, while the upper surface is green. The leaves have a softer texture.
 
Inflorescence

The inflorescence is a terminal cluster, loose, 10 to 26 cm in length with remote solitary flowers.
 
Flower

The bracts are lanceolate, very small, often ciliated. The floral stalk is slender, 5 to 10 mm in length, spreading to ascending habit. The calyx is 5 to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide, it is cut at the base, surmounted by 5 linear lobes. Corolla is campanulate, but split dorsally. It consists of a 3-lobed lower lip and an upper lip split into 2 narrowly triangular lobes. It measures 5 to 7 mm long and 4 mm in diameter. It is blue, purple to light purple, with darker margins. The flower has 5 stamens and a semi inferior ovary.
 
Fruit

The fruit is an oblong capsule, glabrous, 5 to 6 mm long and 3 to 4 mm wide.
 
Seed

Seed ellipsoid, smooth shiny, 0.4 to 0.5 mm long.

Origin

Lobelia cliffortiana is native to the Caribbean islands.

Worldwide distribution

This species has been introduced in Colombia, Galapagos, Java, Indian Ocean islands (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion Island).

https://www.gbif.org/fr/species/5408958