Dig into Plants: Blue Vervain

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Blue Vervain

Other Common Names: Swamp Verbena, Swamp Vervain, Blue Verbena, Simpler’s Joy

Scientific Name: Verbena hastata

Native to Alabama: Yes

Wikimedia – Fritzflohrreynolds

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BASIC INFORMATION

ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

MAINTENANCE NOTES

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

LEAF, FLOWER & SEED ID

PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Basic Plant Information

Wikimedia – James St. John

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 2 – 6 feet high and 1 – 2.5 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Native Bees

Other Birds

Other Pollinators

Caterpillars

Common Buckeye

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:

Gray Vervain
(Verbena canescens)

Texas Vervain
(Verbena halei)

Purple Top Vervain
(Verbena bonariensis)

Narrowleaf Vervain
(Verbena simplex)

Hoary Verbena
(Verbena stricta)

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter.
Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase.
Can be an aggressive grower.
Remove dead flower heads throughout season to prolong summer bloom.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires heavy watering with good drainage.

Heavy watering with good drainage: water two-three times per week during the summer and twice per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Heavy watering with
good drainage

Sandy, Loamy,
or Clay Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Stephanie Brundage

LEAF DESCRIPTION

up to 6 inches long and 1 inch wide, leaves are green in color; stems are square

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Serrate

Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Robert L. Stone

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Each flower is 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length; flowers are densely packed on each inflorescence; inflorescences grow in upward pointing candelabra-like spikes; 5 petals make up each tubular flower

Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)


Color: Purple-blue, Lavender	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: Jun – Oct

flickr – Matt Lavin

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/Tubers/Roots & Shoots
Underground rhizomes can spread and create new colonies of plants; can spread by self-seeding; seeds require cool-moist soil


Type: Fruit – Nut	Description: reddish, brown triangular nutlets	Months in Seed: Fall

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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