Lobelia neglecta

Lobelia neglecta, commonly the wild lobelia, sometimes the rough lobelia and previously L. hirsuta, is a single-stemmed, sparsely branched shrublet reaching heights from 30 cm to 50 cm. The specific name, neglecta, is a Latin word meaning neglected, possibly referring to the plant not often being cultivated (therefore called the wild lobelia), not one of the popular or cherished species in the genus.

The distribution is in the south of the country from Gansbaai in the Western Cape to Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. The photo was taken in the Salmonsdam Nature Reserve.

The habitat is fynbos slopes and coastal grassland. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).