The answer to last week’s mystery is a cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis, pictured below:
Cardinal flower is a native perennial plant from North and Central America. It gets its common name from its brilliant red flowers, which resemble the vestments worn by Roman Catholic cardinals. Its spikes of red flowers on leafy stems grow up to 5 feet tall.
Cardinal flowers are a stunning splash of color that attracts pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. Each erect terminal raceme is covered with numerous five-lobed flowers. The tube-shaped flowers open from the bottom to the top over a period of several weeks from late summer to early fall.
Cardinal flowers do best in moist areas like wet woods, stream banks, ponds, swamps, and marshes. They thrive in areas with high humidity. The plant flowers in full sun to partial shade, but they are easily grown in filtered light.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
