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lobelia
lobelia , any plant of the genus Lobelia, annual and perennial herbs of tropical and temperate woodlands and moist places. Most lobelias have blue or purple flowers on a long (1–4 ft/30–122 cm), leafy stem. Native North American species, often cultivated as ornamentals, include the only red lobelia, the cardinal flower ( L. cardinalis ), which is becoming rare; the blue lobelia ( L. syphilitica ), used by Native Americans for the treatment of syphilis; and Indian tobacco ( L. inflata ), named for its odor. The dried leaves and stems of Indian tobacco and sometimes of other species furnish medicinal lobelia, the source of lobeline, which is used as a respiratory stimulant but is poisonous in overdose as are the roots. L. erinus, introduced from S Africa, is a common border plant. Most botanists include Lobelia and related genera in the family Campanulaceae (bluebell family); others consider them a separate family, the Lobeliaceae. Lobelia is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Campanulales, family Campanulaceae. |
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"lobelia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobelia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-lobelia.html "lobelia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-lobelia.html |
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Lobelia
Lobelia (family Lobeliaceae) A genus comprising mainly herbs and some shrubs in which the flowers, in leaf axils or in racemes, have 2-lipped corollas split down the back, and beards on some anthers. The fruit is a capsule. There are 365 species, throughout most tropical and temperate areas of the world. The genus shows an extraordinary degree of endemism in the E. African mountains, where many species with huge columnar inflorescences occur, each mountain block tending to have 1 or more endemic species in the alpine zones.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Lobelia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Lobelia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Lobelia.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Lobelia." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-Lobelia.html |
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lobelia
lo·bel·ia / lōˈbēlēə; -ˈbēlyə/ • n. a chiefly tropical or subtropical plant (genus Lobelia) of the bellflower family, in particular an annual widely grown as a bedding plant. Some kinds are aquatic, and some grow as thick-trunked shrubs or trees on African mountains. |
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"lobelia." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobelia." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lobelia.html "lobelia." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lobelia.html |
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lobelia
lobelia Genus of 365 species of flowering plants found worldwide, mainly known as trailing or bedding plants. The flowers may be blue, red or white and are irregularly shaped. The leaves are simple. Family Lobeliaceae.
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"lobelia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobelia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-lobelia.html "lobelia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-lobelia.html |
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lobelia
lobelia XVIII. modL., f. name of Matthias de Lobel (1538–1616), botanist to James I; see -IA1.
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T. F. HOAD. "lobelia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "lobelia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lobelia.html T. F. HOAD. "lobelia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lobelia.html |
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