August 8, 2025

Inflated Lobelia (Lobelia inflata), a plant with minuscule flowers, just right for a dollhouse. They’re 1/4 to 3/8 inch wide in colors of blue-violet, lavender or white. Native to eastern North America. Popping up in random places here on the mountain.

There is something called a calyx at the base of many flowers. It is the outer layer, a protective layer that is usually green.

This, in the case of the Inflated Lobelia, is where the seeds grow, inflating that calyx, shown in the picture above. And this inspires the word “inflated” in the common name. Those seeds, like the flowers, are minuscule and weigh hardly anything. Easily distributed by the wind.

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