A member of the bellflower family of plants, the great blue lobelia is native to the United States. It is botanically listed as Lobelia siphilitica.
Great Blue Lobelia Description
This perennial grows two to three feet high. Typically, it doesn’t have branches but a few of them will. Stems hold lavender-blue flowers that are tubular. They are in a cluster, blooming between July and October. It is two lipped, with two segments in top lip and three segments in bottom lip.
Growing Guide
This plant loves to grow in any lighting and a moist or wet soil. It is not drought tolerant and has to be in a moist soil. Propagate by seed or clump division. Seed will need two months of cold moist stratification prior to planting. Division should take place in the spring.
Distribution
This native is found in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. It is seen in meadows, marshes, stream banks, and woody areas.
Warnings
All parts to the plant are poisonous if eaten in large quantities. There is a volatile oil plus the toxic alkaloid compounds of lobeline, lobelamine, and others.
Name
Lobelia siphilitica is named, at least for the ‘siphilitica’ part, for its old lore remedy for syphilis. Today, we well know it isn’t a cure for syphilis.
Source: NPIN