lobelia

2 definitions found

lobelia - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Lobelia \Lo*be"li*a\ (?; 106), n. [NL. So called from Lobel,
     botanist to King James I.] (Bot.)
     A genus of plants, including a great number of species.
     Lobelia inflata, or Indian tobacco, is an annual plant of
     North America, whose leaves contain a poisonous white viscid
     juice, of an acrid taste. It has often been used in medicine
     as an emetic, expectorant, etc. Lobelia cardinalis is the
     cardinal flower, remarkable for the deep and vivid red color
     of its flowers.
     [1913 Webster]

lobelia - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  lobelia
      n 1: any plant or flower of the genus Lobelia