// SPECIES PROFILE · PERENNIAL · NATIVE

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal flower's pure scarlet — the most intense pure red of any native perennial — blazes from August spires that rise from streamside seeps and shaded creek banks across NE Oklahoma. Co-evolved with ruby-throated hummingbirds, which are essentially its sole pollinator.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Campanulaceae
Group: perennial
Native range: E. & C. North America incl. eastern OK stream margins
USDA hardiness: Zones 3–9
Mature size: 2–4 ft
Sun: Part shade to full sun
Water: Wet to consistently moist
Wildlife value: Almost exclusively pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds
Ecological role: intense red bloom · hummingbird-pollinated · wet-soil native

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) — *Lobelia cardinalis*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Needs consistent moisture — rain garden, pond edge, or low spot, never dry. Short-lived (3–5 yrs) but reliably reseeds in suitable conditions. Plant in groups for best hummingbird traffic.

Why it's on this list: intense red bloom · hummingbird-pollinated · wet-soil native. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

Along a stream or seasonal floodplain, cardinal flower pairs naturally with: american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), american elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum), and black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica).

Combine cardinal flower with the warm-season grasses listed above for a self-sustaining matrix.

Photo Reference

// Lobelia cardinalis — cardinal flower
Photo: jeff5872 (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)