FNPS Plant Database

Lobelia cardinalis

cardinal flower

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

cardinal flower

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Lobelia cardinalis

Family:

Campanulaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

3-5 ft tall by 1 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

red

Fruit Color:

brown,NA

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Blooms late summer-early winter. While perennial, some plants may die after flowering.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower in moist garden, edge of water garden, understory plant in wet woods or stream edges

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed, division, or cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Aquatic ---to--- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Butterflies, Hummingbirds

The nectar attracts various Swallowtail butterflies.





Bumblebees will steal nectar through slits in the tubular corolla.





Halictid bees sometimes gather pollen, but they are apparently ineffective at pollination (Hillty, ).

Attracts hummingbirds.

Native Habitats:

Riverine swamps, spring run swamps, bogs, in mats of floating vegetation, wet ditches.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=loca2



Hiltly, John.   Illinois Wildflowers.     https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Tras, Pamela.  2001.  Gardening for Florida's butterflies.  Great Outdoors Publishing, St. Petersburg, FL.



University of Tennessee Extension Service.  Desired Ph Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants.    https://extension.tennessee.edu/mtnpi/Documents/handouts/Fertility/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf   accessed 2021.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu /).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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