Lobelia erinus
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Read about Lobelia erinus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Lobelia erinus, Linn. (L. heteropylla , Hort., sometimes, not Labill. L. gracilis, Hort., not Andr. L. bicolor, Sims). Figs. 2187, 2188. Diffuse and half-trailing annual or perennial, much used for edgings: glabrous or slightly hairy below, 6-12 in. high: lvs. variable, the lower ones obtuse and obovate or spatulate and crenate-toothed, the upper ones oblanceolate or oblong (becoming linear and acute near the top of the st.), and mostly sharp- angle-toothed: fls. ½ - ¾ in. across, on slender pedicels, light blue or violet with a lighter center (throat white or yellowish); calyx-lobes awl-like, spreading, as long as the corolla-tube; 3 lower lobes of corolla large and spreading. S. Afr. "Stony places in flats and on mountains." B.M.514;901.—One of the commonest of all annual edging plants, particularly for early season effects. In our hot climate, it often ceases blooming in midsummer, but with good soil, plenty of water, and occasional cutting back, it will bloom till frost. Seeds sown in Jan. and Feb., will give blooming plants by April and May. For fls. alone, rather than for edgings, the seeds may be started later, or even sown in the open ground. For definite results in edgings, however, it is usually better to start from cuttings. In the fall, lift the best plants, and grow them in pots through the winter as stocks from which to secure cuttings. Cuttings taken in late Jan. or Feb., should give blooming plants by May. Seedlings vary, and one cannot rely on them for definite effects in design work, although they may be best for the amateur who desires only fls. Some strains of seeds, however, come very true. The species is also a good pot- plant for the winter conservatory. Lobelia Erinus is exceedingly variable. The forms fall into three groups: (a) Variation in habit: Var. compacta or erecta, dense-growing forms suitable for low, close edgings: subvarieties are blue, white and so on. The most popular bedding forms belong to this strain. The name erecta is often used for the taller strains. Var. gracilis, with slender growth and suitable for vases or baskets: blue. Var. pumila. Very dwarf. (b) Variation in color of foliage: Golden Queen and Goldelse, with yellowish foliage. Also forms with bronzy foliage, but not constant. (c) Variation in color and size of fls.: Var. alba. White. Var. flore-pleno. Double. R.H. 1875:71. Var. grandiflora. Various large-fld. forms. Var. kermesina. Crimson. Var. Lindleyana. Rose-color, with white eye. Var. marmorata. Fls. marbled. Var. Paxtoniana. Light blue with white eye: growth straggling. Var. Royal Purple. Purple-blue. Var. speciosa. Largo-fld., light azure-blue, with white eye. Var. tricolor. Fls. blue or pink, with white eye and carmine spots. Var. hamburgia, Hort., has fls. bright blue with white eye; growth very rapid, slender, making it a handsome pot or basket plant. Var. Richardsonii, Hort. (L. Richardsonii, Hort.), has long spreading or drooping sts.: lvs. cordate and crisped: fls. light blue, in a long terminal raceme. L. multflora of lists presumably belongs in this species: soft rich pink.
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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