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Lobelia tupa

Devil's Tobacco

Family CampanulaceaeGenus Lobelia

Curved crimson tubular flowers opening from dark maroon buds along a stout red stem
FlowerStan ShebsCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

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

Habit
perennial or subshrubPlants of the World Online
Flower
RedWikipedia
Native range
Chile Central, Chile SouthGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

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; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • This Chilean lobelia, up to 4 m tall, contains active alkaloids. Its large, felty leaves have been smoked as a narcotic, which gave it the name tabaco del diablo, "devil's tobacco"; ironically it has also been used to treat nicotine addiction. Wikipedia: Lobelia tupa

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 February 4, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C Light: either

Germination happens during step 1, in 60 days.

80% germination in 60 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. tupa germ. 70(80% in 2nd w) and 40(80% in 2nd m). Light had no effect.
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 Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: either

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

80% 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. tupa germ. 70(80% in 2nd w) and 40(80% in 2nd m). Light had no effect.
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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