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Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
  
About Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) 24 Nurseries Carry This Plant Cardinal Flower is an evergreen species native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia. It tends to grow in very wet areas like stream bottoms, bogs and seeps. It grows to about a meter tall (when in flower) and has bright red flowers. Hummingbirds love it. Cardinal flower is often cultivated for ornamental purposes and has also been used for medicinal purposes.

The plant is very alkaloid and is considered toxic.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
3 - 5.9 ft tall
2 - 5 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Spreading, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
hummingbirds, honeybees

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Shade, Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to freezing° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Slow, Standing

Soil Description
Soil Description
Moist, rich soils. Soil PH: 4.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bogs and Ponds, Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Maintenance
Maintenance
good for cut flowers

Propagation
Propagation?
Mainly pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds. Proposed by seed and small volunteers around the main plant. Tolerates potting..  For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Stream bottoms, riparian, bogs, seeps

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 37.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.19" - 2.22", Coldest Month: 38.8" - 58.2", Hottest Month: 63.8" - 86.8", Humidity: 2.16" - 37.70", Elevation: 820" - 5996"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Cardinalflower


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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