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Verbena hastata var. hastata
Verbena hastata L. var. hastata
Swamp Verbena, Blue Vervain
Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: VEHAH
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Spikes of purple-blue flowers appear on this 3-5 ft meadow plant in mid-summer. Small flowers open on spikes from bottom to top for a long bloom period. Spent flower spikes add ornamental interest.
This species is a member of the verbena family (family Verbenaceae), which includes about 75 genera and 3,000 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly of tropical and warm temperate regions. Among them, teak is a highly prized furniture wood, and Vervain, Lantana, Lippia or Frog Fruit, and Chase Tree or Vitex are grown as ornamentals.
From the Image Gallery
Plant Characteristics
Duration: BiennialHabit: Herb
Fruit Type: Schizocarp
Size Notes: Up to about 5 feet tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Blue , PurpleBloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WVCanada: BC , MB , NB , NS , ON , PE , QC , SK
Growing Conditions
Water Use: MediumLight Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Conditions Comments: Grows in wet meadows in the wild, but will thrive in dry soil.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Good plant for sunny meadow, prairie gardensUse Food: Leaves make a beverage tea. (Kindscher)
Use Medicinal: Amerindians used leaf tea as a female tonic, also for colds, coughs, fevers, bowel complaints, dysentery, stomach cramps, emetic in large doses. Roots considered more active than leaves. (Foster & Duke) Tea of roots to clear up cloudy urine. Dried, powdered flowers used as a snuff to stop nose bleed. Root used as a remedy for fits. (Kindscher)
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes
Value to Beneficial Insects
Special Value to Native BeesThis information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Propagation
Propagation Material: SeedsDescription: Prodigious self-seeder. Seeds ripen in late summer, early fall.
Bibliography
Bibref 928 - 100 easy-to-grow native plants for Canadian gardens (2005) Johnson, L.; A. LeyerleBibref 610 - Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.
Bibref 417 - Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (2000) Foster, S. & J. A. Duke
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona ChapterAdditional resources
USDA: Find Verbena hastata var. hastata in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Verbena hastata var. hastata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Verbena hastata var. hastata
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-05-25Research By: TWC Staff