A small, creeping herb with blue or purple flowers. A plant that is beautiful and dangerous. The leaves are edible but contain alkaloids and should be eaten in small quantities. The plant was used medicinally by Māori. The flowers appear in summer and attract native bees. It grows in damp, open areas throughout New Zealand. It is a native relative of introduced lobelia species. A plant that heals and harms. The leaves are narrow and lance-shaped, arranged alternately along the stem. They are bright green and slightly fleshy. The stems are creeping at the base, then rising upright at the tips, forming loose mats. A plant that spreads without hurry. The flowers are the plant's most striking feature. They are blue or purple, sometimes white, with a distinctive two-lipped shape. The lower lip is three-lobed, the upper lip is two-lobed. The flowers appear in summer and are pollinated by native bees and other insects. A flower that looks like a mouth. The leaves contain alkaloids that can be toxic in large quantities. Māori used the plant medicinally with caution, preparing decoctions and poultices for specific ailments. The plant was not used as a food source. A medicine that must be respected. To find native lobelia is to walk the damp margins of forests and streams. Look for the creeping stems, the narrow leaves, the blue or purple flowers. It is a plant of the damp places, a splash of colour in the green. But treat it with respect. The alkaloids are a reminder that not everything that grows is safe to eat. The stream bank is damp. The lobelia creeps, blue flowers open to the sun. A bee lands. The flower does not sting. The alkaloids wait in the leaves. The plant does not warn. It does not need to. It just grows.