Great Blue Lobelia Other Common Names: Blue Cardinal Flower, Great Lobelia Scientific Name: Lobelia siphilitica Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center R. W. Smith Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 2 - 4 feet high and 1 - 1.5 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

 



















 

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Ecological Benefits

 

This plant provides food for:
Butterflies	Caterpillars Pink-washed Looper Moth	Native Bees	Hummingbirds

 

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:
		Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)		Pale-spike Lobelia (Lobelia spicata)

 

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Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Cut plant back after flowering in the fall. Plant is likely to self-seed. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires moist to wet soil at all times.
Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

 
 

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Habitat Requirements
This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day) Part Sun/ Shade (2-6 hours of sun per day) Shade (Less than 2 hours of sun per day)		Prefers moist to wet soils at all times	Sandy, Loamy, Clay,  or Moist Soil

 
 

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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
LEAF DESCRIPTION						Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Alan Cressler Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)
Shape: Lanceolate		Margin: Dentate		Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple
Description:
Green; 2-6 inches long and pointed at the tip; 2 inches wide; finely toothed; stem is ridged

  

FLOWER DESCRIPTION							Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center James L. Reveal Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shape Chart (JPG)
Color: Blue	Shape: Tubular		Bloom Months: Jul - Sup
Description:
Light to dark blue cluster of flowers on showy inflorescence; tubular flowers - bottom lip stands out more than the top lip; flowers on un-branched leafy stalks

SEED DESCRIPTION					flickr - Dwight Sipler Click on image to enlarge it
Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod		Description: Fruit is small capsule covered by find ridges; turns reddish brown in the fall; splits open to release many dust-like seeds	Months in Seed: Fall
Plant spreads by: Seeds

 

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Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers. After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

 

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Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign: Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign: Editable Word Doc

QR Code (Links to this Webpage)

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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Adriondacks Forever Wild		North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Missouri Botanical Garden		Minnesota Wildflowers

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