Indian tobacco
Lobelia inflata
USDA zones3 to 9
Sizeup to 3 feet tall
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Blue , purple
Notes
Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata) is an annual for naturalized plantings, wildflower meadows, and open woodland edges. It shrugs off cool spells and light frost, though a hard freeze will damage it. Tiny lavender, blue-violet, or white flowers open in leafy, elongated clusters on slightly hairy stems. It blooms from early to late summer and again in early to mid autumn. This plant is poisonous, so keep it away from children and pets. Never eat the root, because a large amount can be fatal.
Pairs well with Thumbelina zinnia, Foxtail barley, and Corn mint.
Native range
AL, AR, CT, DC, and 32 more places. See all 36
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV; NB, NS, and PE.