water lobelia

Water lobelia (Lobelia dortmanna) is an erect, perennial aquatic herb found in Europe and North America. It has submerged, spongy leaves and a tall stem bearing blue flowers. The genus Lobelia includes over 400 species of flowering plants native to temperate and warmer regions worldwide. These plants are typically herbs or undershrubs, though some tropical African species are tree-like. Most Lobelia species have simple leaves and two-lipped, tubular flowers.12

Some well-known species include the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), native to North America, which has scarlet flowers and is attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. The dwarf blue trailing lobelia (L. erinus) from South Africa is a popular bedding plant. It's important to note that some Lobelia species, like Indian tobacco (L. inflata), are poisonous and should not be ingested.32