Cardinal flower is a brilliant scarlet-colored native wildflower that grows in marshes, stream banks and low woods. Its extremely showy blossoms can be recognized at considerable distance. Few native plants have flowers of such intense color as this common herbaceous perennial.

The cardinal flower produces intense red blossoms at a time when many other perennials are declining in the summer heat. This plant is an excellent choice for naturalizing and wildflower meadows, but you’ll also enjoy growing cardinal flowers in perennial borders.

The Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis, is a lovely flower. There are approximately 400 species, and it tends to have dark green leaves and bright red flowers. It grows in full sunlight or even partial shade.

They will flower for a long period of time, generally throughout the summer and part of the fall.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows up to 1.2 m (4 ft) tall and is found in wet places, streambanks, and swamps. The leaves are up to 20 cm (8 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) broad, lanceolate to oval, with a toothed margin.

The flowers are usually vibrant red, deeply five-lobed, up to 4 cm across; they are produced in an erect raceme up to 70 cm (28 in) tall during the summer to fall.

Forms with white and pink  flowers are also known. Lobelia cardinalis is related to two other Lobelia species in to the Eastern United States, Lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco) and Lobelia siphilitica (great lobelia); all display the characteristic “lip” petal near the opening of the flower and the “milky” liquid the plant excretes.

L. siphilitica has blue flowers and is primarily pollinated by bees, whereas L. cardinalis is red and is primarily pollinated by the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris).

We’ll be sharing more about this flower in future