Great blue lobelia illinois

Great blue lobelia illinois

Great Blue Lobelia forms a flower spike covered in deep blue flowers from late summer to early fall. It can form colonies when happily sited in medium to wet soils in light shade, but is not overly aggressive. Combine Blue Lobelia with Cardinal Flower for a stunning color combo that will bring in the hummingbirds. Excellent for damp clay soil.

Great blue lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica offers a deep-hued counterpoint to the yellows of late summer. This colony-forming, short-lived perennial grows well in medium to wet soils, especially with a little shade. In its native range, Great Blue Lobelia can be found in wet prairies, soggy meadows, pond and creek edges, marshland borders, and other moist areas.Great blue lobelia, is a member of the Campanulaceae (Bellflower) family. The family includes around 2,400 mostly herbaceous species, most of which occur in North America, Europe and Asia. A number of species are from South Africa. Well known species include bellflowers (Campanula species) and balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus). About 415 species of Lobelia are known. About 43 species are known from the U.S., including Hawai’i, and Canada. A particularly well known species is cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) which has intensely red flowers.

The preference is wet to moist soil and partial sun. Full sun is tolerated if the soil is consistently moist, and light shade is also acceptable. The soil should be fertile and loamy. This plant withstands occasional flooding, but it will become muddy and ragged-looking if it receives too much abuse. The small seeds require light to germinate. Great Blue Lobelia can be highly variable in height, depending on environmental conditions and its stage of development.The native Great Blue Lobelia occurs throughout Illinois, except for a few counties in southern Illinois. It is occasional to locally common. Typical habitats include moist black soil prairies, soggy meadows near rivers, low areas along rivers and ponds, floodplain and bottomland woodlands, woodland borders, bottoms of sandstone canyons along streams, swamps, fens, gravelly seeps and springs, ditches, and moist areas of pastures. Great Blue Lobelia can be found in both disturbed areas and high quality habitats. (Source: www.illinoiswildflowers.info)