Lobelia tupa: taxon details and analytics
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Campanulaceae
- Genus
- Lobelia
- Species
- Lobelia tupa
- Scientific Name
- Lobelia tupa
Summary description from Wikipedia:
Lobelia tupa
Lobelia tupa is a species of Lobelia native to central Chile from Valparaíso south to Los Lagos regions.
Lobelia tupa is an evergreen perennial plant which grows up to 4 m tall and thrives in dry soils. The foliage is grey-green, with felty elliptical leaves 10–15 cm long. The flowers are red, tubular and 2-lipped and are produced in a sympodium pattern.
The plant has numerous ethnobotanical uses due to its pharmaceutically active alkaloids. The latex is used as an abortifacient, and the large, felty leaves are smoked as a narcotic with possible hallucinogenic effects - whence one of its common names, Tabaco del Diablo (Devil's tobacco). Ironically, this plant has been used to treat nicotine addiction because it contains the nicotine-related alkaloid Lobeline (a mixed agonist–antagonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors). The Mapuche of Southern Chile consider it a sacred plant. Tupa leaves have also been found to contain chemicals that act as a respiratory stimulant.
...Lobelia tupa in languages:
- English
- devil's tobacco
- Estonian
- tobilobeelia
Images from inaturalist.org observations:
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