Lobelia nummularia

Lobelia nummularia is in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae. Its home range spans tropical and subtropical Asia to Queensland. It grows in China, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Its range takes in Bangladesh and much of Southeast Asia. It reaches through the Philippines and Indonesia to New Guinea. The RHS does not list Britain or Ireland as native sites. Old names include Pratia nummularia, Pratia begoniifolia, and Lobelia begoniifolia. These names can help you check old plant records.

This low plant creeps on the ground or hangs down. Useful Tropical Plants lists annual and perennial forms. These live for one year or for more than one. Kew instead calls it a subshrub, a small woody plant. The sources thus differ in how they describe its form. Its stated height is about 0.33 feet [0.1 metres]. Its stems branch and reach about 0.26–1.97 feet [0.08–0.6 metres] long. Roots grow at nodes, or stem joints, where conditions allow. Stem length does not mean the plant’s upright height. The records give no firm width for a full-grown garden plant.

Wild plants grow on damp ground in sun and shade. Sites include river edges and roads through woods. They also grow in woods that have grown back. Large numbers can grow on land used to raise tea. In Java, sites range from 1,969–10,827 feet [600–3,300 metres] above sea level. These heights mark wild sites, not tests of garden hardiness. Kew puts the plant in a subtropical climate group. The sources give no frost limit or hardiness zone. Useful Tropical Plants gives no set method for growing it. Its wild sites suggest that it needs moist ground. They do not show how often to water it.

Insects pollinate the flowers, and records list seed as a way to grow new plants. The species account gives no bloom season or flower colour. It gives no full account of leaves or fruit. People gather wild plants for food and use in folk medicine. A source from Nepal lists ripe fruit as food. It also lists fruit pastes for gut problems and wounds. These reports of past use do not prove any health benefit. Some other use claims come from records named Lobelia angulata. That is a different species, so those claims remain in doubt. The evidence does not show if this species is toxic. Nor does it show if it is safe for pets.