Lobelia siphilitica is another short lived perennial (2 to 3 years) native to eastern and central Canada and US. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall, and produces blue flowers from August to October.
These lobelias seem to be more at home in my yard than the related cardinal flower, even though they have similar characteristics and needs. I have some 10 to 12 plants that have grown a fair amount of basal leaves over the last two years, and they have been sending up multiple stems with flowers. I hope these lobelias will self-seed but I will try to gather some seed just in case. Butterflies and bumblebees especially like to visit the flowers, and occasionally a hummingbird will stop by – the proximity to cardinal flower a few feet away may make this an opportunity feed more than an explicitly sought out visit.
As for other animals, non-nectar feeding birds have little use for the plant and the seeds are too small to add much food value. Mammals don’t eat this plant because the foliage contains alkaloids that resemble nicotine poisoning. That’s why you don’t see chipmunks hanging out having a cigar, I guess. It is fitting that lobelia siphilitica is used as an ingredient in some anti-smoking medication. There are other uses for the herb as well: Plant extract has been known to help with scorpion and snake bites, as well as to induce vomiting, which makes it useful in cases of poisoning. Native americans used the root in the treatment of pleurisy, rheumatism, tennis elbow (or bow elbow), whiplash injuries, boils, ulcers and hard to heal sores.
Despite some of these benefits, I would advise not to ingest any parts of great blue lobelia, since it may cause dizziness, nausea, hypotension, vomiting, stupor, tremors, paralysis, convulsions, coma, and also death.
Folklore has it that some native American tribes used Lobelia siphilitica to cure tobacco or whiskey addiction, as a love or anti-love medicine, or to counteract witchcraft induced sickness. Very interesting stuff, but again, when it comes to consuming parts of the plant, don’t try this at home.
Blue lobelias Cummaquid August 6 2011 - flowers and foliage
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