NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Lobelia siphilitica

Great Blue Lobelia

Scientific Name:	Lobelia siphilitica
Genus:	Lobelia
Species Epithet:	siphilitica
Common Name:	Great Blue Lobelia
Plant Type	Herb/Wildflower
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Campanulaceae (Bellflower Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	1-3 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Blue
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day, Less than 2 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	July, August, September, October
Growing Area:	Mountains, Piedmont
Habitat Description:	Bottomlands, moist forests, ditches, wet meadows, streambanks (Weakley 2015). Common in NC Mountains, rare in Piedmont.
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Recommended and Available
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	"This blue counterpart of the Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a most desirable plant for woodland gardens especially since it blooms bright blue in late summer. The unfortunate species name, siphilitica, is based on the fact that it was a supposed cure for syphilis." All parts poisonous. Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
Blooms © Tom Harville
A robust plant, growing to about 3 feet tall, with an abundance of alternate stem leaves with serrated margins.. The raceme is very densely crowded with bright blue to violet-blue flowers that surround the stem on all sides. The foliage in this picture has been dusted from the gravel/dirt road that it is growing alongside. Cherokee Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Close-up of the tubular, 2-lipped flowers with the three lobes of the lower lip larger than the two lobes of the upper lip. Cherokee Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record