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Lobelia inflata
Also called Inflated Tobacco, Inflated Lobelia, Lowbelia, Puke Weed, Wild Tobacco
Lobelia inflata is a small annual or biennial wildflower from eastern North America, growing 15 to 100 cm tall with violet flowers from mid-summer into fall. It grows easily from seed sown in containers in spring or fall, and it is a medicinal plant that is toxic if eaten.
Lobelia inflata, also known as Indian tobacco or puke weed, is a species of Lobelia native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada (Nova Scotia to southeast Ontario) south through the eastern United States to Alabama and west to Kansas.
Propagation is usually accomplished by cuttings or seed. Seeds are sown in containers in mid spring or mid fall. The seeds take about 2 weeks to germinate.
Lobelia inflata has a long use as a medicinal plant as an entheogenic, emetic, and skin or respiratory aid. Native Americans used it for respiratory and muscle disorders, as a purgative, and as a ceremonial medicine. The leaves were chewed and smoked. The plant was used as a traditional medicinal plant by the Cherokee, Iroquois, Penobscot, and other indigenous peoples. The foliage was burned by the Cherokee as a natural insecticide, to smoke out gnats.
Although it may be used medicinally, consuming lobelia causes adverse effects, which may include sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, rapid heartbeat, mental confusion, convulsions, hypothermia, coma, or possibly death. The root is toxic and can be fatal if eaten.
Lobelia inflata is pollinated by small bees including sweat bees.
Cardinalflower · Chinese lobelia · Dortmann's cardinalflower · Edging lobelia · Sierra Madre lobelia · Lobelia oligophylla · Lobelia polyphylla · Devil's Tobacco · Lobelias
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lobelia inflata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
