Lobelia laxiflora - Sierra Madre 2725
A flower that can be found all over the East Bay, this Lobelia's flowers are just "made" for hummingbirds. I found this one in the yard of an estate abutting Congressional District 11, California (Walnut Creek, Mt. Diablo, Google Maps).
Lobelia laxiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is native to the Americas, where it is distributed in South, Central, and North America as far north as Arizona and California in the United States. It is known by several English-language common names, including Mexican lobelia, Sierra Madre lobelia, Mexican cardinalflower, looseflowers lobelia, and drooping lobelia.
In Mexico this plant grows in pine-oak forest habitat. In Arizona and California it has been noted in riparian woodland.
The hummingbird flower mite (Tropicoseius chiriquensis) lives in the flowers of this plant, feeding on the nectar and pollen and laying eggs. Each flower blooms for about a week, enough time for the mite to complete its life cycle.
Like other lobelias, this species contains medicinally useful alkaloids. Several new compounds have been discovered during chemical analyses of this plant.
Lobelia laxiflora - Sierra Madre 2725
A flower that can be found all over the East Bay, this Lobelia's flowers are just "made" for hummingbirds. I found this one in the yard of an estate abutting Congressional District 11, California (Walnut Creek, Mt. Diablo, Google Maps).
Lobelia laxiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is native to the Americas, where it is distributed in South, Central, and North America as far north as Arizona and California in the United States. It is known by several English-language common names, including Mexican lobelia, Sierra Madre lobelia, Mexican cardinalflower, looseflowers lobelia, and drooping lobelia.
In Mexico this plant grows in pine-oak forest habitat. In Arizona and California it has been noted in riparian woodland.
The hummingbird flower mite (Tropicoseius chiriquensis) lives in the flowers of this plant, feeding on the nectar and pollen and laying eggs. Each flower blooms for about a week, enough time for the mite to complete its life cycle.
Like other lobelias, this species contains medicinally useful alkaloids. Several new compounds have been discovered during chemical analyses of this plant.