Lobelia puberula

Lobelia puberula
Photo taken by Kevin Robertson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Campanulales
Family:	Campanulaceae
Genus:	Lobelia
Species:	L. puberula
Binomial name
Lobelia puberula Michx.
Natural range of Lobelia puberula from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: downy lobelia

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms: Lobelia puberula var. puberula; L. puberula var. simulans Fernald; L. puberula var. mineolana F. Wimmer

Description

"Perennial or annual herbs, stems erect, strict or freely branched. Leaves crenate, serrate or entire. Raceme terminal ,bracteate, often very leafy and the flowers appearing axillary. Calyx 5-lobed, more or less actinomorphic; corolla zygomorphic, fenestrate, 2-lipped, upper lip 2-lobbed, lower 3-lobbed. Stamens 5, completely united. Capsule dehiscent by apical pores. Seeds yellowish brown, tuberculate, oblong, 0.6-1 mm long." - Radford et al 1964

"Similar to L. elongata. Stems pubescent, at least near the base. Leaves elliptic, lanceolate or oblanceolate, 3-12 cm long, 1-4 cm wide. Calyx lobes lanceolate, rarely linear, 5-10 mm long, sometimes slightly auriculate, entire or with callous-tipped teeth; corolla tube 7-10 mm long; filament tube 5-8 mm long. Capsule 6-8 mm broad." - Radford et al 1964

Ecology

Habitat

It is found in burned and unburned patches of degraded longleaf pine sandhill in the southeastern United States (Heuberger and Putz 2003). This species is also found in pine flatlands, boggy clearings, upland pine-oak woodlands, ravines, along limestone glades, and along riverbanks (FSU Herbarium). It can occur in dry, sandy soils, loamy soils, clays, and moist soils of wetlands in open to partial shaded areas (FSU Herbarium). L. puberula has also been found growing in human disturbed areas such as ditches and along roadsides (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Pinus palutris, Quercus virginiana, Pinus echinata, Quercus falcata, Helianthus, Eupatorium, Agalinis, Liatris, Coreopsis gladiata, Juncus trigonocarpus, Scleria reticularis, Sphagnum, Pinus taeda, Aristida stricta, and Schoenus nigricans (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

This species has been observed flowering and fruiting from August to December (FSU Herbarium).

Seed bank and germination

Several short-lived perennial forbs also have a seed bank persistent for at least several years (Platt et al 2006).

Fire ecology

This species thrives in areas that are burned (FSU Herbarium).

Photo Gallery

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  Lobelia puberula

  Photo by Gil Nelson

References and notes

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: G. Knight, Loran C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, Jean W. Wooten, James R. Burkhalter, R. Kral, S. W. Leonard, A. F. Clewell, D. B. Ward, E. S. Ford, Roy Komarek, S.C. Hood, . K. Craddock Burks, Gil Nelson, Angus Gholson, Wilson Baker, Ed Keppner, Lisa Keppner, Ann F. Johnson, R. A. Norris, Travis MacClendon, Karen MacClendon. States and Counties: Florida: Baxter, Calhoun, Clay, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, and Walton. Georgia: Grady and Thomas.

Heuberger, K. A. and F. E. Putz (2003). "Fire in the suburbs: ecological impacts of prescribed fire in small remnants of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) sandhill." Restoration Ecology 11: 72-81.

Platt, W. J., S. M. Carr, et al. (2006). "Pine savanna overstorey influences on ground-cover biodiversity." Applied Vegetation Science 9: 37-50.

Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 1005-7. Print.