Perennial, 4-12 dm, usually simple, short-hairy ±throughout, or rarely largely glabrate; lvs oblong to oblong-ovate or lanceolate, 5-10 cm, dentate, the lower obtuse or rounded, the upper smaller and often acute; raceme 1-3 dm, usually secund, crowded; bracts lanceolate to ovate, 1-2 cm; pedicels 2-5 mm, bibracteolate near the base or sometimes at the middle; fls 1.5-2 cm, blue, fenestrate, the lower lip glabrous within; sep lance-linear, 6-10 mm; auricles small; 2n=14. Wet soil; s. N.J. to s. O. and s. Ill., s. to Fla. and Tex. Aug.-Oct.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

Infrequent to rare in its range in Indiana. It is generally found in dry woods but I have found it also in "flat woods" associated with beech and sweet gum. I believe this species is restricted to the southern part of the state. It has been reported from the northern counties by some authors, but I believe all of these reports should be transferred to Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys. It was reported from Tippecanoe County upon the authority of Hussey. I have seen his specimen, which is in the herbarium of Purdue University, and it belongs to Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys. Pepoon reported it from Porter County upon the authority of Umbach and I refer this report also to Lobelia spicata var. leptostachys which he does not report and which occurs there. Buhl (Amer. Midland Nat. 16: 252. 1935) says there are no confirming specimens for this latter report.

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Indiana Coefficient of Conservatism: C = 5

Wetland Indicator Status: FACW