Swamp Verbena Verbena hastata
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ver-BEE-nuh hass-TAH-tuh
- Description
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Blue vervain is a native wildflower that spreads slowly through rhizomes and self-seeding. It can grow in disturbed sites and is commonly found in moist meadows, thickets, pastures, riversides, marshes, ditches, and river-bottom prairies. In NC it is found in only a few counties of the coastal, Piedmont and mountain areas.
The plant forms clumps of stiff upright stems with lanced-shaped leaves with toothed margins. The purple flowers occur in a candelabra-shaped panicle and are a high-value nectar plant with a long bloom season. Blooms open bottom to top with only a few open at one time in mid to late summer.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in average medium to wet soils and pinch the tops to encourage branching and a bushier growth habit. Use this plant in moist sites as around ponds, bogs or water and rain gardens.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Verbena
- Species:
- hastata
- Family:
- Verbenaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- It has been used for many years as a medicinal herb for treating convalescents and people suffering from depression, headaches, jaundice, cramps, coughs and fevers. Externally, it has been applied to wounds, ulcers and acne. Swamp vervain can, however, interfere with blood pressure medication and hormone therapy, and large doses cause vomiting and diarrhea.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North America
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY Canada: NB , NS , ON , QC
- Wildlife Value:
- Cardinals, sparrows, and juncos eat the seeds. Cottontail rabbits eat the foliage, however, most mammals avoid its bitter taste. Larval host plant for verbena moth and the common buckeye butterfly. Long and short-tongued bees collect the nectar and sometimes the pollen. Other bee pollinators include epoline cuckoo bees, eucerine miner bees, halictid bees, and the verbena bee (a specialist pollinator). In addition, the thread-waisted wasp, bee flies, thick-headed flies and golden soldier beetle are also known to all visit blue vervain.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Wildflower
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Description:
- The calyx persists and encloses 4 oblong, reddish-brown, triangular-convex “nutlets.”
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Showy, 6-inch panicles of purplish-blue flowers. 1/4 inch individual blooms have a blue-violet corolla with 5 spreading lobes, a short-tubular calyx with 5 narrow teeth, 4 inserted stamens, and a pistil. Panicles appear candelabra-like with pencil-thin flower spikes. They bloom bottom to top with only a few open at a time.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Up to 6 in long x 1 in wide, toothed, lance-shaped leaves with conspicuous veins that occur in pairs on the stem.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Square
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Stems are square and green or red with white appressed hairs.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Water Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Wet Soil
