This native perennial wildflower is one of the most beautiful of the late summer flowers.  It is the largest of the blue lobelias and produces a dense spike of 1-1 ½ inch long tubular and lipped flowers. The plant grows from 1 to 4 feet high on a stem that is almost never branched. The flower spike’s height can vary from 6 in. to 2 feet.

The deep blue flowers form in the axils of leafy bracts. They have 2 narrow lobes or 'ears' on top and three wider lobes below—the 'lip'. The corolla is in the form of a tube. Both the corolla tube and the lower lips are streaked with white. The calyx is hairy.

Great blue lobelia normally blooms in August and September. Bumblebees are the major pollinators. The oval or lance-shaped leaves are alternate and 2 to 6 in. long. This wildflower is cultivated in many wildflower gardens because it blooms for a long period of time.

Although the plant is a perennial, it is short-lived. Individual plants last only a few years. It does best with some shade at low woodland and in rich soil with a constant supply of moisture.