Lobelia colorata var. baculus F. E. Wimmer; L. colorata var. dsolinhoensis F. E. Wimmer; L. colorata subsp. guizhouensis T. J. Zhang & D. Y. Hong; L. palustris Kerr.

Herbs, perennial, 30-100 cm tall. Stems erect, terete, simple, glabrous or puberulent near axils. Cauline leaves alternate, subsessile or winged-petiolate; blade obovate-oblong to linear-lanceolate, 3.5-11 × 0.5-3 cm, glabrous, base cuneate, apex rounded but mucronate. Racemes terminal, 15-30 cm, lax; flowers oriented toward one side; bracts lanceolate to linear, shorter or longer than flowers; pedicels 4-7 mm, glabrous or sparsely setulose, with 2 bracteoles at or below middle. Hypanthium semiellipsoid, 2-4 mm, glabrous or puberulent; calyx lobes linear, 5-12 × ca. 1 mm, margin with 2-4 pairs of glandular denticles. Corolla nearly 2-lipped, purple-blue or blue, rarely white, 12-20 mm, glabrous; upper 2 lobes linear, 11-15 mm; lower ones ovate-oblong, 4-8 mm. Filament tube glabrous, 7-11 mm; anther tube 5-6 mm, glabrous or sparsely villous; lower 2 anthers barbate at top. Capsule ovoid-globose, ca. 6 × 4-6 mm. Seeds ellipsoid, slightly compressed. Fl. and fr. Sep-Oct.

"Lobelia purpurascens" (Wallich, Numer. List, no. 1307. 1829) belongs here but is a nomen nudum and was therefore not validly published (Vienna Code, Art. 32.1(d)).

Thickets in ravines, moist meadows; 1000-3000 m. Guizhou, Yunnan [NE India, N Thailand].