Lobelia cardinalis 'Black Truffle'
🌿 Save 10% on all Natives
Discount applied automatically at checkout!
Guaranteed to arrive healthy. details →
Black Truffle carries chocolate-purple foliage under the scarlet flower spikes, so the plant has presence all season rather than only in bloom. Lobelia cardinalis 'Black Truffle' grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide in full sun to part sun, hardy from Zone 5 through Zone 9.
The dark leaves emerge in spring and hold their color through summer, and the red flower spikes open against them in late summer for a contrast the green-leaved form does not offer.
Hummingbirds are the primary pollinator, and the tubular flowers are shaped so that almost nothing else can reach the nectar.
Cardinal flower grows wild along streambanks and in wet meadows, so it takes wet ground and even shallow standing water. It struggles in a dry bed. Like the species it is short-lived, so leave the seedheads standing and let it self-sow. A winter mulch helps, though keep the basal rosette at the surface.
Height 3'- 4' Spread 2'- 3'
USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9
Lowest Temperatures -20°F to -10°F
Full sun to part sun- at least 4 hours direct sun per day
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV
