Lobelia cardinalis

Lobelia cardinalis is toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The reported severity is moderate. Also known as Cardinal Flower.

dogs cats horses

Mild Moderate Severe Critical

If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control on (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Fees may apply.

Symptoms to watch for

Depression Diarrhea Vomiting Drooling Abdominal Pain Cardiac Arrhythmias

The color of each symptom follows the severity scale above.

About

Lobelia cardinalis, the cardinal flower, is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae native to the Americas, from southeastern Canada south through the eastern and southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America to northern Colombia.

How this plant poisons

As a member of the Lobelia genus, L. cardinalis contains a number of naturally occurring, toxic alkaloids, including lobelanine and lobeline, thus rendering the species potentially harmful if ingested. Various negative physical symptoms may manifest upon consuming even small or mid-sized quantities of the plant, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, fatigue/exhaustion, weakness, dilation of pupils, convulsions, and even coma.

Common Names

  • Cardinal Flower

Also recorded as Cardinal-flower and Scarlet Lobelia.

Related plants

More from the Campanulaceae family:

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Facts

Family
Campanulaceae
Duration
Perennial
Growth habit
Forb/herb
Native to
New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Antioquia
In the wild
US, CA, MX, HN, PA, GT + more
Source
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Elsewhere

Countries with the most wild observations, from GBIF data.