Re: Large leaf plants

Hello Moira et al
I can send photos [reasonably small if any one is interested [to individual email addresses] of both these Lobelias [tupa & gobberoa] - the flower of L gobberoa is not very dramatic, only the size is amazing, the blooms are insignificant.    Visitors to the garden always ask "What is THAT?"
Wind - My garden is so crowded it is a matter of the strongest and the fittest!
There is a photo of L gobberoa in Botanica
Regards Gay





Hi Gay
I looked up these Lobelias and in Flora I found pictured L tupa from seaside sandhills in Chile. It looks quite magnificent.

L gibberoa is outside their competace apparently. However though they do list two other African species, LL. aberdarica and telekii. Each of these is listed as growing up to  8ft tall. The height of 24 ft you mention for gobberoa sounds truely amazing. I guess you don't have to battle the strong winds which are such a feature of _our_ local climate!

I recall once when I waa still working in the advisory labs in Nairobi (nearly 55 years ago) my boss going some way up (I think) Mt Kenya and bringining back a wild spike of probably L. abedarica. This spike was only about 5ft tall, but I remember clearly how huge the individual clear blue flowers were. I regret I never myself got up to see these monsters in theri native habitat.

Moira 

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