Height: 2'-5' (.6-1.5m). Flower: 1 1/2" (4cm) long; irregular, with 5 petals forming a 2-lipped tubular corolla, lower lip with 3 spreading lobes, upper lip 2-lobed, 5 stamens in a ring around single pistil which projects upward through a slit in upper lip; several, in leaf axils and bracted racemes. Leaves: Lanceolate; irregularly toothed; alternate. In bloom: July-September. Habitat-Range: Damp shores, meadows, swamps; throughout.
These brilliantly colored flowers are found abundantly in wet places at the edges of streams and swamps. Its relative inaccessibility has prevented gross overpicking but it is still on the conservation list of flowers to be protected. The tubular scarlet flower is especially appealing to hummingbirds. The striking color is said to resemble the scarlet finery of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church; hence its common name. Its generic name honors Matthias de L'Obel, a Flemish herbalist.