Lobelia is a large and varied genus of flowering plants in the Campanulaceae family, comprised of large to small annual, perennial and shrubby species, from a variety of habitats, in a range of colours. They occur naturally in the warm temperate regions of the world with a few species extending into cooler temperate regions.

Lobelia telekii is a species of flowering plant that is found only in the alpine zones of Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon, and the Aberdare Mountains of East Africa. It occurs at higher altitudes on well-drained sloped hillsides. The plants usually consist of a single rosette, which grows for several decades, flowers once, and then dies. However, a very small number of plants have multiple rosettes connected by an underground stem. The purple flowers are hidden within the large blue green bracts that cover the inflorescence and are pollinated by birds and can produce a few hundred seeds each. The overall appearance of the inflorescene covered with hairy bracts has given this plant the nickname Cousin Itt after the character from The Addams Family. On Mount Kenya, Lobelia telekii occurs at elevations of 3,500–5,000 metres inhabiting drier hill slopes. These seeds were collected at 3500 m elevation on Mt. Elgon.