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Hardiness: USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F) USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F) USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F) USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun Sun to Partial Shade
Danger: All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color: Red-Orange
Bloom Time: Late Summer/Early Fall Mid Fall
Foliage: Herbaceous Chartreuse/Yellow
Other details: Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information: Non-patented
Propagation Methods: By dividing the rootball From seed; sow indoors before last frost From seed; direct sow after last frost From seed; germinate in a damp paper towel
Seed Collecting: Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
Dramatic hummingbird magnet from June through September. Looks spectacular in front of large bronze phormiums. I grow this in my South Seattle yard in poor, dry soil in full sun. Each year it comes back bigger and stronger and has self-sown a bit lately. My two three-year old plants survived the harsh winter of 2008-2009 just fine without any protection or mulch.
I have this growing in poor, dry soil, full sun, by the front door. It looks spectacular from July through September and comes back stronger every year. Hummingbirds love it.
On Apr 16, 2009, Joan from Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) wrote:Editor's Note
Some resources list all parts of Lobelia species and cultivars as poisonous if large quantities are ingested.
The toxic principals include the alkaloids lobelamine, lobeline, and others, plus a volatile oil.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, exhaustion and weakness, dilation of pupils, convulsions, and coma.
We tend to err on the side of caution in PlantFiles, and the danger notation in the details above is to warn gardeners, parents and pet owners to look further for more information before eating.
TUPA (Lobelia tupa), a tall, variable plant of the high Andes, is also called tabaco del diablo ("devil's tobacco"). In Chile, the Mapuche Indians smoke the dried leaves of this beautiful red-flowered plant for their narcotic effects. Whether they are truly hallucinogenic has not yet been established. They contain the alkaloid lobeline and several derivatives of it. The same alkaloid occurs in some North American species of Lobelia, especially L. inflata, known locally as Indian tobacco. It has been used medicinally and as a smoking deterrent. There are 300 species of Lobelia, mostly tropical and subtropical, and they belong to the bluebell family, Campanuloceae. Some are highly prized as garden ornamentals.
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