the.com/lobelia
A flower so pretty you'd never guess it once doubled as poison and panacea.
means Lobelia is a genus of flowering plants, often grown for their small blue, red, or purple blooms, some species of which have been used medicinally and contain toxic alkaloids.
from Named in honor of Matthias de l'Obel, a Flemish botanist of the 16th and 17th centuries who served as botanist to royalty; the Latinized form 'lobelia' fastens his name to the flower forever, a tidy bit of botanical immortality of the kind Linnaeus loved to hand out.
- former name
- Once called Indian tobacco, smoked by Native Americans
- toxic charm
- Contains lobeline, an alkaloid that mimics nicotine
- namesake
- Honors botanist Matthias de l'Obel, dead since 1616
- medicine cabinet
- Used historically to induce vomiting on purpose
- color range
- Blooms in blue, white, red, and violet
lobelia cardinalis — native wildflower of eastern north america with brilliant red tubular flowers
lobelia inflata — traditional medicinal herb used by native americans and 19th-century herbalists
lobelia erinus — popular ornamental plant from south africa, commonly grown in gardens and hanging baskets