Lobelia kalmii
species of plant
Lobelia kalmii is a species of flowering plant with a distribution primarily across Canada and the northern United States in temperate and boreal regions. It was formerly known as Lobelia strictiflora (Rydb.) It is commonly known as Kalm's lobelia, Ontario lobelia and Brook lobelia.
Description
Lobelia kalmii is a small plant (10 – 40 cm) that grows in wet environments such as bogs, wet meadows, and rocky shorelines, including wet alvars, where it grows in calcareous soil or cracks between limestone rocks.
It is a perennial herb that has blue flowers with a white center. It has thin upper leaves and spatulate basal leaves. The plant starts flowering in July and lasts into September.
Cultivation and uses
Although other species of Lobelia are cultivated for ornamental purposes, the small (1 cm) flowers of Lobelia kalmii have not endeared this plant to growers. However, it can be found through on seed exchanges among native plant enthusiasts. Its hardy nature may allow it to produce masses of scattered plants within downspout rock gardens. The plant attracts hummingbirds.
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This entry incorporates text from “Lobelia kalmii” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.