Verbenaceae
Vervain Family
Verbena stricta Vent.
- Stem: perennial; 1 1/2’ to 2 1/2’ tall; little branched; stem square; hairy.
- Leaves: opposite; oval with rounded tips and tapering bases; 1 1/2”, occasionally up to 4”, by 3/4”; sessile; margins with small teeth; very hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: a raceme, one or a few from the stem tip and upper leaf axils; flowers crowded; raceme elongating greatly during development, to 6” as fruits mature.
- Flowers: corolla deep blue, tubular, two-lipped, 1/8” beyond the calyx, dropping soon after opening; calyx tubular, 3/16” with small teeth; flowering from mid-June to early September.
- Fruits: four nutlets developing within the calyx; fruiting begins in late June.
- Habitat: common on mesic to dry prairies, pastures, and roadsides to open woods; most abundant in disturbed places.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
