Lobelia erinus (Edging Lobelia)

Native to tropical and southern Africa, this plant is a low-growing herb that can be annual or perennial. Its flowers have two small upper lobes and three larger, spreading lower lobes, often with white markings at the center. Flower colors include blue, violet, pink and white. The fruit is a small capsule. In its native range it grows on lower mountain slopes and coastal flats, and it has been cultivated in flowerbeds since the seventeenth century. Photographed in Armenia, Colombia.