LOBELIA, the typical genus of the tribe Lobelieae, of the family Campanulaceae, named after Matthias de Lobel, a native of Lille, botanist and physician to James I. It numbers about 220 species, natives of nearly all the temperate and warmer regions of the world, excepting central and eastern Europe as well as western Asia. They are annual or perennial herbs or under-shrubs, rarely shrubby; remarkable arborescent forms are the tree-lobelias found at high elevations on the mountains of tropical Africa. Two species are British, L. Dortmanna (named by Linnaeus after Dortmann, a Dutch druggist), which occurs in gravelly mountain lakes ; and L. wrens, which is only found on heaths, etc., in Dorset and Cornwall. The genus is distinguished from Campanula by the irregular corona and completely united anthers, and by the exces sive acridity of the milky juice. The species earliest described and figured appears to be L. cardinalis, under the name Trache lium aniericanum sive cardinalis plants, "the rich crimson cardi nal's flower"; Parkinson (Paradises, 1629, p. 357) says, "it groweth neere the riuer of Canada, where the French plantation in America is seated." It is a native of the eastern United States. This and several other species are in cultivation as ornamental garden plants, e.g., the dwarf blue L. Erinus, from the Cape, which,
with its numerous varieties, forms a familiar bedding plant. L. splendens and L. fulgens, growing from 1 to 2 ft. high, from Mexico, have scarlet flowers; L. Tupa, a Chilean perennial 6 to 8 ft. high, has reddish or scarlet flowers; L. tenuior with blue flow ers is a recent acquisition to the greenhouse section, while L. amaena, from North America, as well as L. syphilitica and its hybrids, from Virginia, have also blue flowers. The last-named was introduced in 1665. The hybrids raised by crossing cardi nalis, fulgens, splendens and syphilitica, constitute a fine group of fairly hardy and showy garden plants.
The species Lobelia inflata, the "Indian tobacco" of North America, is used in medicine, the entire herb, dried and in flower, being employed. The species derives its specific name from its characteristic inflated capsules. It is somewhat irritant to the nostrils, and is possessed of a burning, acrid taste. The chief con stituent is a volatile liquid alkaloid (cf. nicotine) named lobeline, which occurs to the extent of about 3o%. This is a very pungent body, with a tobacco-like odour. It occurs in combination with lobelic acid and forms solid crystalline salts.