Dig Into Plants: Great Blue Lobelia

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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

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BASIC INFORMATION

ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

MAINTENANCE NOTES

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

LEAF, FLOWER & SEED ID

PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Basic Plant Information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Stephanie Brundage

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.

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)

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.

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

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Alan Cressler

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Green; 2-6 inches long and pointed at the tip; 2 inches wide; finely toothed; stem is ridged.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Eliptic	Margin: Dentate

Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – James L. Reveal

FLOWER 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

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Blue	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: Jul – Sep

flickr – Dwight Sipler

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds


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 - Winter

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

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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