Cardinal Flower is a species of Lobelia which is native to North America. Cardinal Flower is related to two other Lobelia species along the East Coast of North America, Indian tobacco and great lobelia; all species display the characteristic "lip" petal near the opening of the flower and the "milky" liquid the plant excretes. Cardinal Flower was introduced to Europe in the mid-1620s, where the name cardinal flower was in use by 1629, likely due to the similarity of the flower's colour to the vesture of Roman Catholic Cardinals. The genus name commemorates Belgian botanist Matthias de L'Obel (1538-1616).
Plants in the Lobelia family may have potential as a drug for neurological disorders and are currently under study.
Within the realm of rational and holistic medicine, cardinal flower roots have been used by the North American indigenous peoples as an ingredient in tea for a number of intestinal ailments and syphilis. Leaf teas were used for bronchial problems and colds, inter alia. The Meskwaki people used it as part of an inhalant against catarrh. The Penobscot people smoked the dried leaves as a substitute for tobacco. It may also have been chewed. The Zuni people used it externally for rheumatism and swelling.
Please note that MIROFOSS does not suggest in any way that plants should be used in place of proper medical and psychological care. This information is provided here as a reference only.
The plant contains a number of alkaloids. As a member of the genus Lobelia, it is considered to be POTENTIALLY TOXIC. The Zuni people use this plant as an ingredient of "schumaakwe cakes".
Please note that MIROFOSS can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the consumption of plant species which are found in the wild. This information is provided here as a reference only.
Cardinal Flower can grow in medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers very moist soil and can grow in shallow aquatic environments. In cultivation cardinal flower requires rich, deep soil which remains reliably moist year-round. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. Cardinal Flowers prefer full sun but can grow in partial shade.
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Cardinal Flower is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows up to 120cm tall and is found in wet places such as stream banks, swamps, and along fresh water shorelines. The leaves of cardinal flower are up to 20cm long and 5cm wide, lanceolate to oval, with a toothed margin. The blooms of cardinal flower are usually vibrant red, deeply five-lobed, up to 4cm across; they are produced in an erect raceme up to 70cm tall during the summer to fall. Cardinal Flower is easily propagated by seeds which are capsule shaped and approximately 5mm long. The seeds drop and form young plants which grow around the older mature plants each year. Although the plant is generally considered a perennial, they may be short lived. Cardinal Flower is primarily pollinated by the ruby-throated hummingbird.
| Plant Height | 120cm |  |
| Habitat | Swamps, Moist Forests, Stream banks | |
| Leaves | Alternate, Lanceolate 20cm long | |
| Leaf Margin | Toothed | |
| Leaf Venation | Pinnate | |
| Stems | Smooth Stems | |
| Flowering Season | July to September | |
| Flower Type | Elongated clusters of deeply lobed flowers | |
| Flower Colour | red | |
| Pollination | Insects, hummingbirds | |
| Flower Gender | Flowers are hermaphrodite and the plants are self-fertile | |
| Fruit | Capsule shaped seeds | |
| USDA Zone | 4B (-28°C to -31°C) cold weather limit |
The following health hazards should be noted when handling or choosing a location to cardinal flower:
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TOXICITY Cardinal Flower contains a number of alkaloids. As a member of the genus Lobelia, it is considered to be potentially toxic. |
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SKIN IRRITANT |
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-Click here- or on the thumbnail image to see an artist rendering, from The United States Department of Agriculture, of cardinal flower. (This image will open in a new browser tab) |
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-Click here- or on the thumbnail image to see a magnified view, from Minnesota Wildflowers, of the seeds created by cardinal flower for propagation. (This image will open in a new browser tab) |
Cardinal Flower can be referenced in certain current and historical texts under the following name:
Cardinal Flower can be translated into the following select languages:
| Arabic | الكاردينال زهرة | Bulgarian | Chinese (Sim) | 红衣主教花 | |
| Croatian | kardinal cvijet | Czech | Danish | ||
| Dutch | HoofdBloem | Esperanto | kardinalo Floro | Estonian | |
| Finnish | French | German | Kardinals-Blume | ||
| Greek | Καρδινάλιος λουλούδι | Hebrew | פרח קרדינל | Hungarian | |
| Italian | Il cardinale Fiore | Japanese | 枢機卿の花 | Korean | 추기경 꽃 |
| Punjabi | ਮੁੱਖ ਫਲਾਵਰ | Lithuanian | kardinolas gėlių | Norwegian | |
| Persian | کاردینال گل | Polish | Portuguese | ||
| Romanian | Cardinalul floare | Russian | кардинал цветок | Slovak | |
| Spanish | Flor cardinal | Swedish | Tagalog | ||
| Turkish | Kardinal Çiçek | Ukrainian | кардинал квітка | Vietnamese |
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The MIROFOSS database offers free printable garden tags for personal and non-profit use. These tags can be used to properly identify plant samples in a garden. Click on the tags shown on the the screen or -click here- to download a full size jpeg image for an cardinal flower identification tag; which can be printed on paper or used with a plastic laser printer. |
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What's this? What can I do with it? |
| Description | Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto:McClelland and Stewart Ltd. |
| Description | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. |
| Hazards | Felpin F.-X., Lebreton J. , "History, chemistry and biology of alkaloids from Lobelia inflata" Tetrahedron 2004 60:45 (10127-10153) |
| Folklore | Foster, Steven and James A. Duke. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants. Peterson Field Guides, Houghton, Mifflin 1990 edn. ISBN 0-395-92066-3 |
| Biology | Caruso, C. M.; Peterson, S. B.; Ridley, C. E. (2003), "Natural selection on floral traits of Lobelia (Lobeliaceae): spatial and temporal variation", American Journal of Botany 90 (9): 1333–40, doi:10.3732/ajb.90.9.1333, PMID 21659233 |
| Biology | Frances Tenenbaum (2003). Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 244–. ISBN 0-618-22644-3. |
| Folklore | Stevenson, Matilda Coxe 1915 Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians. SI-BAE Annual Report #30 (p. 56) |
| Image Rendering | USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. |
| Environment | National Audubon Society. Field Guide To Wildflowers (Eastern Region): Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40232-2 |
| Physical Identification | National Audubon Society. Field Guide To Wildflowers (Eastern Region): Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40232-2 |
| September 08, 2020 | The last time this page was updated |
| ©2021 MIROFOSS™ Foundation | |
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