Lobelia siphilitica L.
Great blue lobelia
Great blue lobelia is native to central and eastern Canada and the United States. Cultivars are popular with gardeners.
Plants: Usually unbranched, 1½–5′ (50–152 cm) in height.
Leaves: Leaves are oval to oblong, and 3–4½″ (7.6–12 cm) long, shorter near the top.
Flowers: Tubular blue or white flowers grow from leaf axils up the stem, and in a large spike at the top. Each flower is ½–1½″ (1.3–3.8 cm) in size, and consists of an upper lip with two segments, and a lower lip with three. Flowers appear from Aug-Sep.
Habitats: Wet woods and clearings.
Edibility: Poisonous 
. Although not intensely
poisonous, lobelia contains lobeline, which is
similar in nicotine in its effects on the nervous system.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 28
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
A cultivar · 9/11/2021 · Tom and Susan’s, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3″ (12 × 8.4 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 5″ (10 × 13 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 9″ (13 × 21 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
A cultivar · 9/11/2021 · Tom and Susan’s, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 16 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) 
10/11/2012 · By Jacquelyn Boyt 
A cultivar · 9/11/2021 · Tom and Susan’s, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Campanulaceae | Campanula or bellflower family; means “bell-shaped flowers” |
| Genus | Lobelia | Named for Flemish botanist Matthias de l’Obel, also known as Lobelius |
| Species | siphilitica | From the discredited belief that it can cure syphilis |
Lobelia siphilitica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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