LOBE'LIA CCELES'TIS.

HEAVENLY LOBELIA.

Class.

PENTAND11IA.

Order.

MONOGYNIA.

Natural Order.

LOBELIACE®.

Native of

Height.

Flowers in

Duration,

Introduced

N. America

2 feet.

June, Oct.

Perennial.

in 1831.

No. 828.

Lobelia, named after a French botanist of thesixteenth century.

Lobelia ccelestis is nearly related to Syphilitica,but its flowers are of brighter colour, and the plantnot so hardy; it is a species established by Nut-tall, and by him sent to this country. In thesecond volume of the second series of Sweet’s Flow-er Garden, another Lobelia, of somewhat similarcharacter, was published under the name of colo-rata. It would be desirable that these three becultivated together, for critical comparison.

Several hybrid varieties of Lobelia have of latebeen raised, which are worthy of cultivation. Theyare chiefly between Syphilitica and the red species—cardinalis, fulgens, and splendens. In the catalogueof the Messrs. Pope, of Handsworth, we observe thenames of several varieties which have favourablemention for the beauty of their flowers, and finegrowth, as Williamsii , Oldfordiensis, and Millerii.

Lobelia ccelestis flourishes in peat, or a mixtureof peat and loam. Probably it would, like thered species, succeed still better in pots, with pans ofwater, as explained under No. 73.

Don's Syst. Bot. 3, 706.