Lobelia erinus, also called Edging Lobelia, Garden Lobelia or Trailing Lobelia, is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae, native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa. It is a low-growing, prostrate or scrambling herbaceous perennial plant growing to 8–15cm tall. The basal leaves are oval, 10mm long and 4-8mm broad, with a toothed margin; leaves higher on the stems are slender and sometimes untoothed. The flowers are blue to violet in wild plants, with a five-lobed corolla 8–20 mm across; they are produced in loose panicles. About 0.5 to 4.5 inches long inflorescence stems are about 5 inches long, loose racemose inflorescences with many flowers. The hermaphrodite flower is zygomorphic with a length of up to 1 centimeter and quinate with double perianth. The five sepals are fused. The fan-shaped lower lip is trilobed. The color of the crown varies depending on the variety between white, blue, purple, purple, pink or red the center is yellow or white. The five stamens are 3 to 7 millimeters long. The fruit is a 5–8mm capsule containing numerous small seeds.
Lobelia erinus is a very popular edging plant in gardens, especially for hanging baskets and window boxes. In temperate zones it is grown as a half-hardy annual, i.e. sown under glass with some heat in spring, then planted out when all danger of frost has passed. Alternatively plants can be purchased from garden centers as young "plug" plants, to be transferred outside in May or June.
Numerous cultivars have been selected, either with a bushy or a trailing habit, in a wide range of flower colors, including white, pink, magenta ("red"), pale to dark blue, and purple, often with a prominent white eye. Some of the better known cultivars include "Blue Moon", "Gracilis", "Crystal Palace", "Sapphire", "Rosamund", and "Riviera Rose". In the United Kingdom the following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: "Cambridge Blue", "Cascade Series", "Color Cascade", "Crystal Palace", "Mrs. Clibran", "Purple Star" (or "Westpurstar"), "Regatta Midnight Blue", "Regatta Sky Blue", "Richardii", "Riviera Blue Eyes", "String of Pearls", "Lobstrahob", "Waterfall Blue (or "Balobwablu").
Article excerpt is from Wikipedia.org under the Creative Commons License.
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