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Lobelia tupa

Lobelia tupa

L.

Family: Campanulaceae
Order: Asterales
Class: Magnoliopsida
Phylum / Division: Magnoliophyta
Kingdom: Plantae

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Records from Bahía Mansa


Description


Lobelia tupa is a species of Lobelia native to central Chile from Valparaíso south to Los Lagos regions.

Lobelia tupa is an evergreen perennial plant which grows up to 4 m tall and thrives in dry soils. The foliage is grey-green, with felty elliptical leaves 10–15 cm long. The flowers are red, tubular and 2-lipped and are produced in a sympodium pattern.

The plant has numerous ethnobotanical uses due to its pharmaceutically active alkaloids. The latex is used as an abortifacient, and the large, felty leaves are smoked as a narcotic with possible hallucinogenic effects - whence one of its common names, Tabaco del Diablo (Devil´s tobacco). Ironically, this plant has been used to treat nicotine addiction because it contains the nicotine-related alkaloid Lobeline (a mixed agonist–antagonist at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors). The Mapuche of Southern Chile consider it a sacred plant. Tupa leaves have also been found to contain chemicals that act as a respiratory stimulant.

Source: Wikipedia, article Lobelia tupa. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
140874706/02/2020ChileRegión de Los LagosBahía MansaNicolas Olejnik
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Lobelia tupa – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 18/09/2026.