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Lobelia laxiflora ssp. angustifolia (Mexican Lobelia) - Bushy perennial/ subshrub that branches from the base with reddish stems bearing narrow 2- to 4-inch-long green leaves that arise from underground spreading rhizomes, allowing a single plant to typically form a dense groundcover to 2 feet tall by many feet wide and in optimum conditions can get taller. At the tip of each leafy stem are borne the 2 inch long bi-colored flowers, yellow on the inside with red on the outside and with flaring petals so both colors are displayed. In Santa Barbara this plant is nearly always in bloom, with a peak bloom period mid to late summer and usually continuing until first frost.
Plant in full coastal sun to part sun or light shade inland in a relatively well-drained soil. Can tolerate areas receiving on occasional irrigation but also grows well in moist soils, where it can prove to be somewhat invasive. It is hardy to about 0 degrees F and useful in USDA Zones 7 and above. A great plant mixed in the meadow, bank planting or large container that is both beautiful and attractive to hummingbirds.
Several polymorphic species once segregated from it have been combined into Lobelia laxiflora and the form we have is a narrow leafed plant that was previously called Lobelia angustifolia but is now considered to be Lobelia laxiflora subspecies angustifolia, though some list it as a variety (var. angustifolia). It comes from southern Arizona south into northern Mexico where it grows along streambeds, in forested areas and in canyons from 4000 to 5000 feet. The genus is named for Mathias de L'Obel (latinized to Matthaeus Lobelius) (1538 –1616), a Belgian botanist and physician to the royal families of the Netherlands (William the Silent, Prince of Orange) and England (King James I). The specific epithet is from the Latin words 'laxus' meaning "loose" and 'flos' meaning "flower" in reference to the loose open arrangement of the flowers and the etymology of the subspecies is narrow leafed from the Latin 'angustus' meaning "narrow" and 'folium' meaning leaf. Because it is found in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico it is often referred to as Sierra Madre Lobelia and other common names include Mexican Cardinal Flower, Looseflower Lobelia, and Drooping Lobelia. We have grew this very fine plant from 1995 up until closing our nursery in 2025.
The information displayed on this page about Lobelia laxiflora ssp. angustifolia is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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