How to Identify Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)
This is Lobelia, a small perennial that starts blooming in the spring, and which will flower until the fall.
It has a round, mounding or spreading growth habit, with short, branched stems. The stems are smooth and hairless.
The leaves grow alternately, and are dark green, smooth, and hairless. The lower leaves are elliptical or oval, while the upper leaves are more linear. The margins may be lightly serrated.
The plant bears loose racemes if small but showy flowers, which are a vibrant blue, violet, yellow, or white in color. They have a unique five-lobed corolla, with the lower three lobes being much larger. The five sepals below the flowers are fused together.
Lobelia likes partial shade and high temperatures. It prefer moist, well-drained soils.
