The perennial Cardinal Flower also known as Red Lobelia. A member of the Bluebell family, the brilliant red flowers bloom  from August to September in the Algonquin Highlands. They are 3-4 cm long, with 5 petals and bloom in clusters on an erect stem, which grows to heights ranging from 15 to 120 cm!

Preferring to grow in wet areas, along stream banks, swamps, and wet meadows, Cardinal Flower is visited by hummingbirds who can easily drink the nectar inside the tubular-shaped blossoms and pollinate the flower. The seeds are in two-celled pods. Its dark green leaves are up to 15 cm long, spear-shaped, toothed, and alternate along the stem.

This plant has been used as a medicine but is also very poisonous. Native Americans used the root for a love potion and some medical treatments.