Indian-tobacco

Lobelia inflata

Found in fields, meadows, gardens, open woodlands, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height: 6 inches–2.5 feet
Light: Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Will it fit your yard?

Lobelia inflata — whole photograph — (c) Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual
Bloom: July to November

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 101 Virginia counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; meadows; forests and woodlands.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Lobelia

Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Enigmogramma basigeraPink-Washed Looper Moth
Eoparargyractis pleviePlevie's Aquatic Moth
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

30BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Lobelia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Campanulaceae
Flower color: Blue

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Blue” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
Height · “6 inches–2.5 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
Life cycle · “Annual” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Full sun (6+ hours); Part shade (3–6 hours); Shade (under 3 hours)” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
primary_flower_color · “blue” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide
Soil · “Wet-mesic; Mesic; Dry-mesic” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed

Also known as

Indian Tobacco

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Indian-tobacco

At a glance

Habitats

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Lobelia