North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Lobelia siphilitica

Lobelia siphilitica L.

great blue lobelia

Image ID: 19470
Image by: Stuart, Will
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: LOSI
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lobelia siphilitica
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-09-17

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: LOBEL
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Lobelia
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Lobelia
GENUS SUMMARY: (contributed by D.D. Spaulding, T.W. Barger, and B.A. Sorrie)
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Vegetative Lobelia can be recognized by their milky sap, and the alternate leaves with obscure, whitish, callus-tipped, and often irregular or divergent teeth.
GENUS REFERENCES: Spaulding & Barger (in prep.)=X; Rosatti (1986)=Z; McVaugh (1936)=Y; Thompson & Lammers (1997); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). Key based in part on X, Y, and GW.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: CAMPAN
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Campanulaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Bellflower Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 80-82 genera and 2000-2400 species, mostly herbs, cosmopolitan. There is controversy about the circumscription of the family, specifically whether subfamily Lobelioideae should be recognized at the family level. Recent phylogenetic studies of the Campanuloideae also suggest that substantial rearrangements of generic boundaries will be needed (Crowl et al. 2014).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Rosatti (1986)=Z; Crowl et al. (2014); Eddie et al. (2003); Shulkina, Gaskin, & Eddie (2003); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). [also see SPHENOCLEACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Showy, erect perennial of bottomlands, moist forests, ditches, wet meadows and stream banks.
STEMS: Stems stout, leafy, sometimes branched above.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, sessile, oval to oblong-lance-shaped, 2–5 in. long, with rough hairs above.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a dense, narrow, terminal raceme, each on an ascending stalk flanked by 2 leafy bracts; deep-blue (rarely white); 1–1½ in. long; bilaterally symmetric and tubular; opening to 2 spreading lips, the upper one split into 2 narrow, erect lobes and the lower lip divided into 3 wider lobes with white marks at the base.
FRUITS: Fruit an oval to round capsule.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1.5-4 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Bilateral (Zygomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: July-Oct

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
						x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Blue

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
						x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: eastern & central N. America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Spikes of lovely blue flowers rise above sturdy plants in late summer. In the wild, great blue lobelia is frequently seen growing in wet meadows and low areas. This adaptable southeastern native perennial will thrive in your perennial border. The blue flowers add a welcome "cool" touch in the summer garden. This perennial is also attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Used medicinally by Native Americans. 1993 N.C Wildflower of the Year

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE: 1,4
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Hummingbird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
3594	1991-0258			View
6762	1996-0423			View
9421	2021-0084	2021-06-29		View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
1369	HORT	2006-10-31	Bryan	View
1394	HORT	2006-11-01	Bryan	View
1749	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1750	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
2663	NPMD	2022-10-18	Marzolf	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
5875	3594	11	NCBG staff	1967-12-01	View
5876	3594	115	NCBG staff	1999-03-01	View
9544	6762	142	NCBG staff	2000-01-01	View
9545	6762	81	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
9546	6762	81	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
9547	6762	94	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
9548	6762	8	NCBG staff	1996-03-28	View
9549	6762	80	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9550	6762	81	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9551	6762	88	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9552	6762	98	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9553	6762	135	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9554	6762	81	NCBG staff	1988-05-01	View
9555	6762	115	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
12734	9421	146	Wenck	2021-05-03	View
12934	0	198	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: LOSI
USDA Common Name: Great Blue Lobelia
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY), CAN (MB, ON)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL				FACW	OBL		OBL	FACW	OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lobelia siphilitica
COMMON NAME: Great Blue Lobelia
SYNONYMY: [= Mo, Pa, RAB, S, W, X; > L. siphilitica Linnaeus var. siphilitica - C, F, G, GW, Il, K, Va, Y; > L. siphilitica var. ludoviciana A.L.P.P. de Candolle - C, F, G, GW, Il, K, Y]
PHENOLOGY: Late Jul-Oct.
HABITAT: Bottomlands, moist forests, ditches, wet meadows, streambanks.
COMMENTS: ME, ON, MN, and WY, south to GA, AL, MS, AR, and TX.
RANGE MAP: Lobelia siphilitica.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Campanulaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Bellflower Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 80-82 genera and 2000-2400 species, mostly herbs, cosmopolitan. There is controversy about the circumscription of the family, specifically whether subfamily Lobelioideae should be recognized at the family level. Recent phylogenetic studies of the Campanuloideae also suggest that substantial rearrangements of generic boundaries will be needed (Crowl et al. 2014).
REFERENCE: Rosatti (1986)=Z; Crowl et al. (2014); Eddie et al. (2003); Shulkina, Gaskin, & Eddie (2003); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). [also see SPHENOCLEACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Lobelia L. (Lobelia)
SUMMARY: (contributed by D.D. Spaulding, T.W. Barger, and B.A. Sorrie)
REFERENCE: Spaulding & Barger (in prep.)=X; Rosatti (1986)=Z; McVaugh (1936)=Y; Thompson & Lammers (1997); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). Key based in part on X, Y, and GW.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Lobelia siphilitica in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Lobelia siphilitica in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Lobelia siphilitica in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Lobelia siphilitica in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Lobelia siphilitica in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Lobelia siphilitica

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 19470 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 19470 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 2904 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)