Lobelia kalmii

Taxobox
name = "Lobelia kalmii"

---

image_width = 270px
image_caption = "Lobelia kalmii"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Asterales
familia = Campanulaceae
subfamilia = Lobelioideae
genus = "Lobelia"
genus_authority = L.
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.

"Lobelia kalmii" is a species of flowering plant with a distribution primarily across Canada [ [http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/ph_spp_intro.pl?speciesid=1004709] Natural Resources Canada Plant Hardiness Site] and the northern United States in temperate and boreal regions [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LOKA] USDA PLANTS Profile] . It was formerly known as "Lobelia strictiflora" (Rydb.) Lunell and has a variety of English names including "Kalm's lobelia", "Ontario lobelia" and "Brook lobelia".

"Lobelia kalmii" is a small plant (10 - 40 cm) of wet environments such as bogs, wet meadows, and rocky shorelines, including wet alvars, where it it grows in calcareous soil or cracks between limestone rocks.

It has blue flowers, with a white center. It has thin upper leaves and spatulate basal leaves cite|author=Peterson, Roger Tory and McKenny, Margaret|date=1968|title=A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern/Northcentral North America|publisher=Houghton Mifflin] . It starts flowering in July, lasting into September.

The genus is named after the Belgian botanist Matthias de Lobel (1538–1616). Huxley, A., ed. (1992). "New RHS Dictionary of Gardening". Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.]

Cultivation and uses

Although other species of Lobelia are cultivated for ornamental purposes, the small (1 cm) flowers of "Lobelia kalmii" have not endeared this plant to growers. It can be found though on seed exchanges among native plant enthusiasts [ [http://www.nanps.org/seedslist.aspx] North American Native Plant Association Seed Exchange] . It's hardy nature may allow it to produce masses of scattered plants within downspout rock gardens.

Medicinal use

Native Americans used lobelia to treat respiratory and muscle disorders, and as a purgative. Today it is used to treat asthma and food poisoning, and is often used as part of smoking cessation programs. It is a physical relaxant, and can serve as a nerve depressant, easing tension and panic. The species used most commonly in modern herbalism is "Lobelia inflata" (Indian Tobacco).cite web | url = http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=2e7354b6-ae71-4dab-90df-c7026eb1c66f&chunkiid=111703 | title = Lobelia | publisher = EBSCO Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Review Board | month = January | year = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-09-12]

References