Lobelia georgiana
A perennial Lobelia in the Campanulaceae family native to the southeastern United States, with blue flowers in elongate racemes on a 0.3–1 m tall plant that grows in wetlands and swamps and blooms July–November.
Common Names
Southern Lobelia, Georgia Lobelia
Summary
Georgia Lobelia, commonly called Southern Lobelia, is an erect perennial herb in Campanulaceae native to the southeastern United States, including Florida and the Carolinas, typically inhabiting swamps, floodplains, and other wet places. It features simple alternate leaves and blue tubular flowers arranged in an elongated raceme; flowers are bilaterally symmetric with an upper lip two-lobed and a lower lip three-lobed, and the calyx bears five glandular-denticulate lobes; fruits are capsules. Synonyms include Lobelia glandulifera and Lobelia amoena var. glandulifera.
In cultivation, Georgia Lobelia grows in wet soils and damp conditions typical of wetlands, reaching about 1–3 ft in height as a herbaceous perennial and blooming blue flowers from Aug to Oct in an elongated raceme; suitable for native plantings, wetland margins, and habitat gardens.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-3 feet
Soil Type
Wet, swampy mineral soil
Soil Drainage
Wet, poorly drained soils
Bloom Color
Blue
Bloom Time
Fall
Foliage Color
Bluish to gray-green, glaucous-green beneath
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- McVaugh
- Publication
- Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 67: 144 (1940)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Campanulaceae
- Genus
- Lobelia
Synonyms
Lobelia amoena var. glandulifera Lobelia amoena f. obtusata Lobelia georgiana f. subhirta Lobelia glandulifera Lobelia amoena var. obtusata