North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Lobelia cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis L.

cardinal flower, cardinalflower

Synonym(s): Lobelia cardinalis ssp. graminea, Lobelia cardinalis var. graminea, Lobelia cardinalis var. meridionalis, Lobelia cardinalis var. multiflora, Lobelia cardinalis var. phyllostachya, Lobelia cardinalis var. propinqua, Lobelia cardinalis var. pseudosplendens, Lobelia fulgens, Lobelia splendens
Cultivar(s): Perry's White

Image ID: 19468
Image by: Stuart, Will
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: LOCA2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lobelia cardinalis
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-01-04

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
1425	Perry's White	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: LOBEL
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Lobelia
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Lobelia
GENUS SUMMARY: (contributed by D.D. Spaulding, T.W. Barger, and B.A. Sorrie)
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Vegetative Lobelia can be recognized by their milky sap, and the alternate leaves with obscure, whitish, callus-tipped, and often irregular or divergent teeth.
GENUS REFERENCES: Spaulding & Barger (in prep.)=X; Rosatti (1986)=Z; McVaugh (1936)=Y; Thompson & Lammers (1997); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). Key based in part on X, Y, and GW.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: CAMPAN
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Campanulaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Bellflower Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 80-82 genera and 2000-2400 species, mostly herbs, cosmopolitan. There is controversy about the circumscription of the family, specifically whether subfamily Lobelioideae should be recognized at the family level. Recent phylogenetic studies of the Campanuloideae also suggest that substantial rearrangements of generic boundaries will be needed (Crowl et al. 2014).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Rosatti (1986)=Z; Crowl et al. (2014); Eddie et al. (2003); Shulkina, Gaskin, & Eddie (2003); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). [also see SPHENOCLEACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial found in marshes, moist meadows, swamp forests and on stream banks.
STEMS: Stems stout, smooth, mostly unbranched.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, petiolate (but reduced upward), lance-shaped to lance-oval, 4â€“5 in. long, with toothed margins.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a tall, terminal spike; brilliant red; bilaterally symmetric, with two spreading lips, the upper lip 2-lobed and with a protruding, gray-tipped filament tube, and the lower lip split into 3 long, lance-elliptic lobes.
FRUITS: Fruit an oval to round capsule.
COMMENTS: Hummingbirds and long-tongued butterflies famously visit these flowers.
HEIGHT: 2-4 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Bilateral (Zygomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: May-October

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Red

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
	x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bogs/pocosins, Bottomlands
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Green rosettes of foliage produce stalks of brilliant red flowers in late summer. This southeastern native perennial is very attractive to hummingbirds that drink the nectar from the flowers. Cardinal flower is a perennial favorite because of its beauty and versatility. In the wild, it is found in open meadows and alongside streams. It will add beauty and drama to your perennial border or shade garden. Be sure to keep the winter rosettes free of leaves and mulch. 1982-1983, 2001 N.C. Wildflower of the Year.

Bloom Table Text: Green rosettes of foliage produce stalks of brilliant red flowers in late summer. This southeastern native perennial is very attractive to hummingbirds that drink the nectar from the flowers. Cardinal flower is a perennial favorite because of its beauty and versatility. In the wild, it is found in open meadows and alongside streams. It will add beauty and drama to your perennial border or shade garden. Be sure to keep the winter rosettes free of leaves and mulch. 1982-1983, 2001 N.C. Wildflower of the Year.

NCBG Location: Throughout NCBG Landscapes

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE: 1, 4
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Hummingbird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
94	HORT	2011-11-07	Liloia	View
124	HORT		Wilbur-Brooks	View
485	SOS	2015-09-17	Dakar	View
1011	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1086	HORT	2005-10-04	Bryan	View
1088	HORT	2005-11-16	Bryan	View
1095	HORT	2006-10-01	Bryan	View
1100	HORT	2006-01-01		View
1161	HORT	2006-11-01	Bryan	View
1429	HORT	2006-09-08	Liloia	View
2295	NPMD	2019-10-15	Touloupas	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
93	2012-0065	2012-06-06	94	View
123	2012-0097	2012-11-15	124	View
1332	1986-1107			View
1969	1986-1760			View
2096	1986-1897			View
2203	1986-2019			View
2469	1986-2313			View
3900	1992-0046			View
4049	1992-0205			View
5700	1995-0826			View
7613	2000-0376	2000-11-20		View
8202	2004-0220	2006-05-19		View
8203	2004-0221	2006-05-19		View
9398	2021-0056	2021-05-17	0	View
9518	2021-0155	2022-08-25		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
126	93	16	Liloia	2012-05-31	View
127	93	17	Liloia	2012-05-31	View
128	93	19	Liloia	2012-05-31	View
129	93	12	NCBG staff	2012-07-01	View
130	93	15	Liloia	2012-06-18	View
227	123	35	Mixon	2012-10-01	View
2314	1332	94	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3153	1969	6	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
3492	2096	11	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3493	2096	80	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3494	2096	187	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3495	2096	189	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3814	2203	53	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
4189	2469	142	NCBG staff	1967-01-01	View
4190	2469	9	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4191	2469	27	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4192	2469	27	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4193	2469	141	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
6208	3900	141	NCBG staff	1991-05-06	View
6377	4049	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
8214	5700	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
10751	7613	146	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
10752	7613	8	NCBG staff	1996-03-28	View
10753	7613	141	Liloia	2002-03-18	View
10754	7613	9	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
10755	7613	9	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
10756	7613	81	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
10757	7613	8	NCBG staff	1978-11-01	View
11467	8202	81	NCBG staff	2003-07-30	View
11468	8203	81	NCBG staff	2004-01-01	View
12651	9398	19	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12696	9398	16	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12711	9398	12	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12791	9398	17	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12933	0	198	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View
13117	93	18	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13219	9518	228	Liloia	2021-11-23	View
13220	9518	229	Liloia	2021-11-23	View
13796	9518	81	Briggs	2023-05-12	View
14052	0	32	Wait	0000-00-00	View
14077	0	34	Wait	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: LOCA2
USDA Common Name: Cardinalflower
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, ON, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACW		OBL		FACW	FACW		OBL	OBL	FACW

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lobelia cardinalis
COMMON NAME: Cardinal Flower
SYNONYMY: [= F, G, Il, K, Mo, Pa, RAB, S, Va, W, WH3, WV, X, Y; > L. cardinalis var. cardinalis - C; > L. cardinalis ssp. cardinalis - GW; > L. cardinalis ssp. cardinalis var. cardinalis ]
PHENOLOGY: (May-) Jul-Oct.
HABITAT: Streambanks, riverbanks, marshes, swamp forests.
COMMENTS: NB, QC, ON, MN, CO, UT, and s. CA south to c. peninsular FL, TX, and south through Mexico and Central America to Colombia. See Thompson & Lammers (1997).
RANGE MAP: Lobelia cardinalis.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Campanulaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Bellflower Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 80-82 genera and 2000-2400 species, mostly herbs, cosmopolitan. There is controversy about the circumscription of the family, specifically whether subfamily Lobelioideae should be recognized at the family level. Recent phylogenetic studies of the Campanuloideae also suggest that substantial rearrangements of generic boundaries will be needed (Crowl et al. 2014).
REFERENCE: Rosatti (1986)=Z; Crowl et al. (2014); Eddie et al. (2003); Shulkina, Gaskin, & Eddie (2003); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). [also see SPHENOCLEACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Lobelia L. (Lobelia)
SUMMARY: (contributed by D.D. Spaulding, T.W. Barger, and B.A. Sorrie)
REFERENCE: Spaulding & Barger (in prep.)=X; Rosatti (1986)=Z; McVaugh (1936)=Y; Thompson & Lammers (1997); Lammers in Kadereit & Jeffrey (2007). Key based in part on X, Y, and GW.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Lobelia cardinalis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Lobelia cardinalis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Lobelia cardinalis in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Lobelia cardinalis in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Lobelia cardinalis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Lobelia cardinalis

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 19468 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 25723 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 19468 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 29543 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)