| Lobelia rhombifolia
is a rare herb that grows in the understorey of dry forest on
granite soils on the east coase (e.g. around Bicheno). It
has flowers arranged in racemes (the oldest flowers are at the top
of the inflorescence), but typically only one flower is open at a
time. The leaves are a few times longer than broad, are usually
widest near the middle or above, less than 2
cm long, and have either coarse teeth or a few lobes. The flowers are generally
dark blue (rarely pale or even white). It is similar to
L. simplicicaulis, but
in that species the oldest flower is at the bottom of the
inflorescence. It is also similar to the widespread and common
species, L. gibbosa, but
that species has entire, or almost entire species (and often the
stems are almost leafless). |
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