''Lobelia oligophylla'' is an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

in the Campanulaceae family. It can be found from Ecuadorean Andes to Tierra del Fuego, in moist, usually open places. It was one of the species recorded and collected on

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

's ''

The Voyage of the Beagle ''The Voyage of the Beagle'' is the title most commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his ''Journal and Remarks'', bringing him considerable fame and respect. This was the third volume of ''The Narrative ...

'' in the 1830s. It was previously known as ''Hypsela reniformis'', but because the genus ''Hypsela'' is part of the enlarged genus '' Lobelia'' it had to be transferred. Its

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

changed because the name ''Lobelia reniformis'' was not available for it, as it was already in use for another

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. The name ''Lobelia oligophylla'' was therefore reinstated. It is a mat-forming species, growing to 20 cm or more in diameter. It has elliptical to broadly ovate or orbicular leaves about 1 cm long, that are somewhat folded upwards along the midrib. It produces numerous laterally symmetrical, star shaped pink flowers on short stalks, covering the mat. It is an ideal ornamental plant for areas that are fairly humus rich and do not dry out, for instance alongside ponds, waterfalls and on shaded areas of rock gardens. Propagation is by simple division of the much rooting stems in spring or by seed.

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''Lobelia oligophylla''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6663640 oligophylla Groundcovers