Lobelia spicata (Spiked Lobelia) - photos and description
15 cm ruler
Stem leaf in above photo
Basal leaf in above photo
General: Plants with an upright, slender, unbranched growth habit. Stems have angled edges and are sparsely hairy.
Flowers: Flowers grow in a loose spike. They are white to pale violet in colour, irregular in shape, with a 3-lobed lower lip. The sepals are linear with a sharp tip (awl-shaped). We measured a flower at 8 mm diameter and 8 mm long. Plants begin flowering in July.
Leaves: Leaves alternate, elliptical to oblong, reduced in size upwards on the stem. The leaves have a few irregular teeth. We measured a leaf a stem leaf at 28 mm long by 7 mm wide, and a basal leaf at 25 mm long by 14 mm wide. Leaves finely hairy, minute hairs on top, bottom and margins.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 100 cm, we measured plants to 45 cm tall.
Habitat: Moist prairie in the parklands.
Abundance: Uncommon.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: Took the above photos July 1st in moist grassland about 70 km southeast of Regina, SK and July 13th in a prairie pasture in the parklands, about 225 km east of our home in Regina, SK.