Ear-leaf lobelia
Lobelia appendiculata A. DC.
Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect to sprawling, slender, glabrous or with scattered, spreading hairs.
- Leaves
- Alternate, sessile, sometimes clasping basally; blade thin, broadly lanceolate to oblong, 1 to 3.12 inches long, 1.25 inch wide, mostly glabrous, base clasping, tip rounded or sharp-pointed, margins nearly entire or toothed.
- Inflorescence
- Spikes, many-flowered, 6 to15 inches long.
- Flower
- Pedicel less than .25 inch long, pubescent, with pair of bracts at base; bracts linear, exceeding pedicel; calyx somewhat inflated, pubescent, 5-lobed; lobes linear to linear-lanceolate, usually densely bristly-ciliate, sometimes only near tips, small auricles at base; auricles leaf-like, flat, ciliate, lanceolate, 1-3 mm long; corolla 2-lipped; upper corolla lip deeply 2-lobed, cleft extending almost to base of tube; lower lip 3-lobed, wide, longer than upper lip; flowers .4 to .6 inch long; corollas white to pale lavender or pale blue; stamens 5; filaments .08 to .16 inch long, united above into tube; anther tube .08 to .1 inch long, bluish gray.
- Fruit
- Capsule, partially exserted from calyx, sometimes nodding; seeds numerous, rough.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Sandy open woods, fields, and roadsides.
- Distribution
- Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette counties in southeast Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
Lobelia, for Mathieu de Lobel, a Flemish physician, herbalist, and author. Ear-leaf lobelia is similar to Lobelia spicata but it is distinguished from that species by stems glabrous or with scattered, spreading hairs, leaves with clasping bases, and leaf-like auricles on the calyx lobes.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Campanulaceae - Bellflower Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 6-35 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2021-09-11
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: June, July