cardinal flower

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

car′dinal flow′er, 

1. Plant Biology a North American plant, Lobelia cardinalis, with showy red tubular flowers in an elongated cluster. Also called scarlet lobelia. 

• so called from its color 1620–30, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cardinal flower noun

1. a campanulaceous plant, Lobelia cardinalis of E North America, that has brilliant scarlet, pink, or white flowers