Verbenaceae
Vervain Family
Verbena hastata L.
- Stem: perennial; 3’ to 5’ tall; unbranched to the inflorescence; stem square; lightly hairy; often very short branches, with 1/2” to 1” leaves developing in axils of stem leaves.
- Leaves: opposite; oval, with rounded bases, tapering to sharp tips, sometimes with paired lobes near base of blades; blades 3” long by 1” wide; leaf stalks 1/2” long, hairy; margins coarsely toothed; hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: numerous racemes on flower stalks at the stem tip and from the upper leaf axils; flowers crowded; raceme elongating during development, from 1” as flowering begins to 4” as fruits mature.
- Flowers: corolla blue (sometimes white), 1/4” long, dropping soon after opening; calyx tubular with short, pointed lobes; flowering from early July to mid-August.
- Fruits: four nutlets develop within the calyx; 3/32” long; fruiting begins in mid-July.
- Habitat: common on moist prairies, in open woods, on stream banks, and in other moist, open places; sometimes on drier, open sites; tolerates disturbance.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
