These small, easily overlooked native lobelias, Lobelia inflata (common names: Indian tobacco or puke weed), are coming up all over my lawn. They don't get as much press as the Great Blue Lobelia or cardinal flowers because they aren't as large, robust and showy, with the entire plant only being about a foot high. To me, they are equally delightful, and worth cherishing.
The plant is an annual or biennial, producing inflated seed pods, which are obvious in the pic below
The Lady Bird Wildflower Center describes it thus: "This acrid poisonous annual is found in a variety of sites, often in poor soil. The American Indians were said to have smoked and chewed its leaves; hence the common name. Though once used as an emetic, the root should not be eaten, for if taken in quantity it can be fatal. ... The plant is toxic only if eaten in large quantities."
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