Cardinal Flower

(Lobelia cardinalis)

 

Color Photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Identification: Flowers bright red, long tubular, with 3 hanging lower petals and 2 splayed upper petals. Flower arising from leaf axils. Leaves blade-shaped, wide in the middle, tapering to the base and apex. Plant 2 to 4 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout eastern North America, and the southern two-thirds of the the United States. Absent from the northwestern United States and Canada.

Habitat: Cardinal Flower is found in wet places such as the banks of streams and rivers, lakes, and swamps.

Flowering period: July to September.

 

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Similar Species:

Cardinal Flower is one of the most distinctive wildflowers in North America.

Similar Species

No Similar Species