Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis Linnaeus    
Kingdom Plantae   >   Division Tracheophyta   >   Class Magnoliopsida   >   Order Asterales   >   Family Campanulaceae   >   Genus Lobelia   

Status:

Common in the appropriate habitat across the state. Blooming typically occurs from the middle of August through September.

Description:

The bright red flowers are distinctive and diagnostic. White flowered specimens are rarely encountered.

Where to find:

Look for these plants along wet ditch edges and forested stream and creek banks. On the Eastern Shore Cardinal Flower has been observed blooming in open freshwater marshes.

Relationships:

The long corollas of the inflorescence make it difficult for most insects to use the flowers as a nectar source. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds actively use Cardinal Flower as a nectar source as do our large swallowtail butterfly species.

There are 795 records in the project database.

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A Cardinal Flower blooming in Garrett Co., Maryland (7/21/2007). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Garrett Co., Maryland (7/8/2012). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Howard Co., Maryland (9/7/2017). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Garrett Co., Maryland (8/28/2016). Photo by Matt Tillett. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Talbot Co., Maryland (8/4/2016). Photo by Jared Satchell. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Kent Co., Maryland (8/31/2013). Photo by Nancy Martin. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/10/2005). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Frederick Co., Maryland (7/27/2021). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Emilio Concari. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Harford Co., Maryland (8/14/2014). Photo by Joshua Jones. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Charles Co., Maryland (8/22/2015). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Prince George's Co., Maryland (8/10/2014). Photo by Brandon Woo. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Howard Co., Maryland (7/25/2010). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Worcester Co., Maryland (8/18/2013). Photo by Gary Van Velsir. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/8/2021). (c) botanygirl, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by botanygirl via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Garrett Co., Maryland (7/27/2015). Photo by Kimberly Booth. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Howard Co., Maryland (9/1/2013). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Carroll Co., Maryland (8/3/2015). Photo by Jim Wilkinson. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Dorchester Co., Maryland (7/31/2016). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (8/16/2016). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (8/29/2015). Photo by Kassy Mattingly. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Caroline Co., Maryland (9/4/2016). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Howard Co., Maryland (9/13/2017). Collected and processed by Helen Lowe Metzman. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in Howard Co., Maryland (9/13/2017). Collected and processed by Helen Lowe Metzman. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A white flowering Cardinal Flower in Queen Anne's Co., Maryland (8/9/2015). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower blooming in Worcester Co., Maryland (8/11/2016). Photo by Jared Satchell. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in bloom in Howard Co., Maryland (9/13/2017). Collected and processed by Helen Lowe Metzman. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in bloom in Howard Co., Maryland (9/13/2017). Collected and processed by Helen Lowe Metzman. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Cardinal Flower in fruit in Calvert Co., Maryland (9/30/2017). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)


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