White root

Appearance

"Lobelia purpurascens" is a small, smooth herb usually less than 12 cm high with ascending or more or less prostrate stems, usually 30 cm long with white rhizomes. The leaves are arranged alternately, more or less sessile, elliptic to oval shaped, 10–25 mm long and 5–10 mm wide, margins toothed and the undersurface usually purplish coloured on a petiole up to 2 mm long. The single flowers are borne in leaf axils on a pedicel 1–7 cm long, corolla pale mauve-pink, bluish or white, 8–10 mm long, lower petals oblong-rounded, upper petals upright, tapering to a point, curved inward and smaller than upper petals. Flowering occurs from November to May and the fruit 3–10 mm long, 3–6 mm wide and smooth.

Naming

"Lobelia purpurascens" was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in "Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et insulae Van-Diemen, exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805". The specific epithet means "purplish".

Distribution

White root grows mostly in shady, moist situations in woodland and grasslands in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

Habitat

White root grows mostly in shady, moist situations in woodland and grasslands in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.