Lobelia erinus

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Campanulaceae Genus: Lobelia

edging lobelia

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial herb.

Stems: Stems herbaceous, 1–2.5 dm long.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Lower blades ovate, obovate, or spatulate, upper ones linear, 0.5–2 cm long. Margins serrate to dentate, crenate or pinnatifid. Sessile to subsessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers (20–)50–200(–400) in terminal racemes. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx 5-lobed, lobes subulate, 2–8 mm long, sepals connate, tube adnate to ovary. Corolla zygomorphic, dorsally cleft almost to base, blue, rose, or white, often with a white or yellow center, 8-16 mm long, the lobes spirally revolute, tube suberect. Stamens 5, alternate with corolla lobes; staminal column glabrous; anthers sparsely pubescent, the upper 2 with apical tufts of white hairs; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits, coherent but separating after anthesis or connate and forming a tube into which pollen is shed; filaments distinct or connate above, attached to the epigynous nectary disk or to base of corolla, rarely adnate to corolla tube. Ovary inferior, 2-celled, often crowned with an annular nectary disk; ovule placentation axile, or when 1-celled with 2 parietal placentas; stigmas wet or dry, 2-lobed, appressed and nonreceptive as the style grows through the anther tube, pushing out the pollen, after which the stigmas spread apart and become receptive.

Fruit: Capsules obconical; 5–8 mm long; dehiscent at apex by 2 valves. Seeds numerous; smooth; brown; 0.3–0.5 mm long; with a straight; short to spatulate dicotyledonous embryo embedded in oily endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 14; 28; 42

Habitat: Cultivated and perhaps sparingly naturalized in disturbed sites.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Synonyms (86)

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Only found in cultivation
O'ahu Only found in cultivation
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 932 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:476 (H [single naturalized coll., Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, 1931]); Staples & Herbst 2005:217 (KEY, DESCR) [Note: single naturalized coll. in 1931 from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park]

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Lobelia erinus L. Waimea District. Cultivated plants purchased from No Ka Oi Nursery. Hanapepe PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Flynn, T. 6743 Kauai BISH 9/14/2000
2 Lobelia erinus L. National Park PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Brumaghim, E. Degener 8016 Hawaii BISH 6/14/1931
3 Lobelia erinus L. waimea district. cultivated plants purchased from no ka oi nursery. hanapepe PRESERVED_SPECIMEN flynn, t. collector number: 6743 Kauai BISH 9/14/2000
4 Lobelia erinus L. Honolulu, purchased at Kilgo's nursery department. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Staples, G. 814 Oahu BISH 3/25/1992
5 Lobelia erinus L. Cultivated plants purchased from No Ka Oi Nursery. Hanapepe. Cultivated. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Tim Flynn 6743 Kauai PTBG 9/14/2000
6 Lobelia erinus L. national park PRESERVED_SPECIMEN brumaghim, e. collector number: degener 8016 Hawaii BISH 6/14/1931
7 Lobelia erinus L. Honolulu, purchased at Kilgo's nursery department. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN George Staples 814 Oahu PTBG 3/25/1992