Family: Campanulaceae
Author: L.
Bibliography: Sp. Pl.: 930 (1753)
Year: 1753
Status: accepted
Rank: species
Genus: Lobelia
Vegetable: False
Observations: S. Canada to N. Colombia
Description
The Scarlet Lobelia, scientifically known as Lobelia cardinalis, is a striking perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the Campanulaceae family. First described in “Species Plantarum” in 1753 by the renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus, this plant has captivated the hearts of gardeners and nature enthusiasts alike for centuries.
Widely distributed from southern Canada to northern Colombia, the Scarlet Lobelia thrives in a variety of habitats including moist meadows, stream banks, and woodlands. Its vibrant red, tubular flowers, which bloom from midsummer to early fall, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds and various species of butterflies, creating a lively and dynamic scene wherever it is found.
The plant typically reaches heights of up to 1.5 meters, with lance-shaped, serrated leaves that form a stunning backdrop for its eye-catching blooms. Preferring damp, rich soils and partial shade, the Scarlet Lobelia is an excellent addition to water gardens and naturalized areas where it can effortlessly bring a bold splash of color.
In cultivation, Lobelia cardinalis is admired not only for its beauty but also for its ease of care. Though it does require consistently moist soil, it is otherwise quite resilient and can adapt to a range of growing conditions. Gardeners appreciate its low maintenance needs and the enormous impact it has in terms of visual appeal.
Beyond its horticultural allure, the Scarlet Lobelia also holds cultural and medicinal significance. Native American tribes historically used the plant for various medicinal purposes, though it should be noted that all parts of the plant can be toxic if ingested improperly.
In summary, Lobelia cardinalis, or Scarlet Lobelia, is a remarkable plant that offers a distinctive aesthetic and ecological value. Its vibrant flowers, historical significance, and ease of cultivation make it a cherished addition to gardens and natural landscapes across its extensive native range. Whether you are a gardener seeking to attract pollinators or a nature lover looking to appreciate the vibrant splendor of this botanical marvel, the Scarlet Lobelia stands as a symbol of natural beauty and resilience.
Common Names
Eng: cardinal-flower, cardinalflower, scarlet lobelia, cardinal flower
Deu: kardinals-lobelie
Swe: kardinallobelia
Fra: lobélie écarlate, lobélie cardinale, lobélie du cardinal
En: Scarlet lobelia, Cardinal-flower, Cardinalflower, Cardinal flower, Cardinal flower lobelia
Ar: لوبيلية كردينالية
Bg: Пурпурна лобелия
Zh: 红衣主教花
Da: Kardinallobelie
Fi: Punalobelia, Tulilobelia
Fr: Lobélie écarlate, Lobélie cardinale, Lobélie du cardinal
De: Kardinals-Lobelie, Kardinals-Lobelia, Scharlachrote Lobelie
He: לובליה אדומה
It: Lobelia rossa
Ml: ലോബെലിയ കാർഡിനാലിസ്
Nv: Dahiitį́į́hildaaʼígíí
Ru: Лобелия пурпурная
Sv: Kardinallobelia
Th: โลบีเลีย
Zh-hant: 紅衣主教花
Tr: Kardinal çiçeği
Synonyms
- Lobelia longifolia ((C.Presl) A.DC.)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. meridionalis (Bowden)
- Lobelia splendens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.)
- Lobelia graminea var. phyllostachya ((Engelm.) E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia porphyrantha (Decne. ex Groenland)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. integerrima (Alph.Wood)
- Lobelia splendens var. ignea (Hook.)
- Lobelia princeps (Otto & A.Dietr.)
- Lobelia fulgens f. atrosanguinea ((Hook.) Voss)
- Lobelia cardinalis f. alba ((J.McNab) H.St.John)
- Dortmanna longifolia ((C.Presl) Kuntze)
- Rapuntium coccineum (Moench)
- Lobelia cordigera var. multiflora ((Paxton) E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia graminea var. intermedia (E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia schiedeana (Heynh.)
- Lobelia kerneri (L.Nagy)
- Rapuntium cardinale ((L.) Mill.)
- Lobelia graminea f. kerneri ((L.Nagy) E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia fulgens var. propinqua (Paxton)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. graminea ((Lam.) McVaugh)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. phyllostachya ((Engelm.) McVaugh)
- Dortmanna phyllostachya ((Engelm.) Kuntze)
- Rapuntium splendens ((Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) C.Presl)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. texensis ((Raf.) Rothr.)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. hispidula (E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia cordigera var. pyramidalis ((Paxton) E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia cardinalis f. rosea (H.St.John)
- Dortmanna cardinalis ((L.) Kuntze)
- Lobelia cordigera (Cav.)
- Lobelia cardinalis subsp. graminea ((Lam.) McVaugh)
- Lobelia punicea var. kerneri ((L.Nagy) E.Wimm.)
- Rapuntium cordigerum ((Cav.) C.Presl)
- Rapuntium gramineum ((Lam.) C.Presl)
- Dortmanna cordigera ((Cav.) Kuntze)
- Lobelia splendens var. atrosanguinea (Hook.)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. angustifolia (Vatke)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. pseudosplendens (McVaugh)
- Lobelia formosa (Roth)
- Lobelia marryattiae (Paxton)
- Lobelia fulgens f. rosea (Voss)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. candida (Alph.Wood)
- Lobelia cardinalis f. cordigera ((Cav.) Bowden)
- Lobelia splendens var. fulgens ((Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) S.Watson)
- Lobelia punicea (Otto & A.Dietr.)
- Lobelia fulgens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.)
- Lobelia fulgens var. multiflora (Paxton)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. alba (J.McNab)
- Dortmanna engelmanniana (Kuntze)
- Lobelia propinqua (J.W.Loudon)
- Lobelia cordigera var. marryattiae ((Paxton) E.Wimm.)
- Dortmanna graminea ((Lam.) Kuntze)
- Lobelia graminea (Lam.)
- Lobelia coccinea ((Moench) Stokes)
- Tupa ignescens (Payer)
- Lobelia cardinalis f. hispidula ((E.Wimm.) Bowden)
- Dortmanna splendens ((Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Kuntze)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. multiflora ((Paxton) McVaugh)
- Lobelia fulgens var. marryattiae ((Paxton) Paxton)
- Rapuntium fulgens ((Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) C.Presl)
- Lobelia splendens f. ignea ((Hook.) Voss)
- Rapuntium longifolium (C.Presl)
- Lobelia graminea var. pseudosplendens ((McVaugh) E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia phyllostachya (Engelm.)
- Dortmanna fulgens ((Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Kuntze)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. propinqua ((Paxton) Bowden)
- Lobelia fulgens var. glabriuscula (Klotzsch ex Walp.)
- Lobelia fulgens f. maculata (Voss)
- Lobelia cardinalis var. glandulosa (N.Coleman)
- Lobelia cordigera var. fatalis (E.Wimm.)
- Lobelia fulgens var. pyramidalis (Paxton)
- Lobelia texensis (Raf.)
- Lobelia cardinalis f. splendens ((Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Bowden)
Distribution
- Alabama (native)
- Arizona (native)
- Arkansas (native)
- Belize (native)
- California (native)
- Colombia (native)
- Colorado (native)
- Connecticut (native)
- Costa Rica (native)
- Delaware (native)
- District of Columbia (native)
- El Salvador (native)
- Florida (native)
- Georgia (native)
- Guatemala (native)
- Honduras (native)
- Illinois (native)
- Indiana (native)
- Iowa (native)
- Kansas (native)
- Kentucky (native)
- Louisiana (native)
- Maine (native)
- Maryland (native)
- Masachusettes (native)
- Mexico Central (native)
- Mexico Gulf (native)
- Mexico Northeast (native)
- Mexico Northwest (native)
- Mexico Southeast (native)
- Mexico Southwest (native)
- Michigan (native)
- Minnesota (native)
- Mississippi (native)
- Missouri (native)
- Nebraska (native)
- Nevada (native)
- New Brunswick (native)
- New Hampshire (native)
- New Jersey (native)
- New Mexico (native)
- New York (native)
- Nicaragua (native)
- North Carolina (native)
- Ohio (native)
- Oklahoma (native)
- Ontario (native)
- Panamá (native)
- Pennsylvania (native)
- Québec (native)
- Rhode I. (native)
- South Carolina (native)
- Tennessee (native)
- Texas (native)
- Utah (native)
- Vermont (native)
- Virginia (native)
- West Virginia (native)
- Wisconsin (native)
- Trinidad-Tobago (introduced)
Additional Images
Flower
Taken Sep 16, 2018 by Jackie Sherwood (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 20, 2022 by Jeroen de Graaf (cc-by-sa)
Taken Oct 7, 2021 by Manuëlle (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 21, 2022 by Annemarie Ahrens-Stehle (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 7, 2018 by Bobby Theodore (cc-by-sa)
Leaf
Taken Jul 28, 2021 by Anya Tamir (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 20, 2022 by Jeroen de Graaf (cc-by-sa)
Taken Oct 17, 2020 by Harz Reinhard (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 15, 2019 by WayneOH (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 1, 2021 by Kevin (cc-by-sa)
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Fruit
Taken Sep 25, 2021 by simard qu marc (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 12, 2021 by Linda Croteau (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 24, 2022 by Stephanie Erickson (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 24, 2022 by Stephanie Erickson (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 11, 2021 by Fabrice Rubio (cc-by-sa)
Habit
Taken Sep 12, 2021 by Brad Kelley (cc-by-sa)
Taken Feb 28, 2022 by Tristan Jaton-Maria (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 12, 2021 by Brad Kelley (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 10, 2021 by Justin Welch (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 14, 2021 by Heather Williamson (cc-by-sa)
Bark
Taken Aug 20, 2020 by Christine Yee (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 4, 2022 by phoceen12 (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jan 1, 1900 by EOL − John Hilty (cc-by-nc)
Taken Aug 23, 2013 by EOL − nihaib (cc-by-nc-sa)
Taken Aug 7, 2004 by EOL − Steven J. Baskauf (cc-by-nc-sa)
Other
Taken Jul 15, 2015 by OTS – Oviedo-Brenes, Federico (cc-by-nc-sa)
Taken Oct 21, 2020 by Karolina Ska (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jun 30, 2021 by Susann Friedrich (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 6, 2021 by Rebecca Smith (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 25, 2022 by Marina Schnabel (cc-by-sa)
Sources
- WFO (No URL)
- IPNI (No URL)
- GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/5408269)
- POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:142115-2)
- PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Lobelia cardinalis L.)
Specifications
Growth form: Single Stem
Growth habit: Forb/herb
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth
Ph maximum: 7.8
Ph minimum: 5.8