A distinctive flower of moist thickets and waste places.  One of the prettier native members of its family, Great Lobelia is also one of the largest.  The blue to purple irregular flowers are up to 1" long, with two lips, the upper lip is 2 lobed, while the lower lip has three.  The flower tube is split down the middle between the two upper lobes.  The tube is striped underneath.  Great Lobelia is a common plant and flowers in late summer to fall.
    There are less common Lobelia that are closely related, most of them are smaller and less showy.  The closely related Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is quite beautiful with large red flowers.  Cardinal Flower is protected as a vulnerable plant while the smaller Nuttal's Lobelia (Lobelia nuttallii) is a rare plant.