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Lobelia inflata

Indian Tobacco · Lowbelia · Puke Weed · Indian-tobacco

Family CampanulaceaeGenus Lobelia

Small white two-lipped flowers at the top of a stem with swollen green seed pods below
FlowerTom NortonCC BY 4.0
A color plate of a leafy flowering stem with pink tubular flowers, beside dissected capsules and seeds
IllustrationFranz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-PflanzenPublic domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
annual or biennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Annual, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
VioletWikipedia
Native range
Canada, lower 48 statesPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors.

Worth knowing

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 24, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 12 days to germinate.

100% germination in 10–12 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Lobelia p. 172Public domain
Show the original text
Lobelia (Lobeliaceae). Both L. inflata germ. 70D GA-3(100% in 10-12 d),- in Stftw), 70D(none), 40- 70L(97% in 2nd w), and 40-70D(none) using fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lobelia p. 172. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 22, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 14 days.

97% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Lobelia p. 172Public domain
Show the original text
Lobelia (Lobeliaceae). Both L. inflata germ. 70D GA-3(100% in 10-12 d),- in Stftw), 70D(none), 40- 70L(97% in 2nd w), and 40-70D(none) using fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lobelia p. 172. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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