Dig into Plants: Rose Vervain

Rose Vervain

Other Common Names: Sweet William, Rose Mock Vervain, Rose Verbena

Scientific Name: Glandularia canadensis

Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – W.D. and Dolphia Bransford

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BASIC INFORMATION

ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

MAINTENANCE NOTES

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

LEAF, FLOWER & SEED ID

PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Basic Plant Information

Wikimedia – Carl Lewis

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I keep my leaves year-round, so I am evergreen.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 0.5 – 1.5 feet high and 1 – 2 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Deer

Rabbits

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:

Prairie Verbena
(Glandularia bipinnatifida)

Southwestern Mock Vervain
(Glandularia gooddingii)

Maintenance Notes

Water during dry summers and mulch in winter.
Watch for powdery mildew fungal infections, spider mites, snails and slugs, thrips, and aphids.
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 average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

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

Average Watering

Well-drained, Sandy, Acidic,
or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Harry Cliffe

LEAF DESCRIPTION

4-inch long, dark green, dissected on each side of the central axis, and may be hairy.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Ovate	Margin: Serrate and Lobed

Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Alan Cressler

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Fragrant flowers in 2-inch, flat-topped clusters are produced at the top of the branch tips; flowers have 5 petals.

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Pink, rosy-pink, lavendar	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: Feb – Sep

Eastern Illinois University – K. R. Robertson

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots
Hairy, grounded stems, rooting at the nodes where they touch the ground to form ground cover; self-seeds in ideal growing conditions


Type: Fruit – Dry Seed Pod	Description: Acorn-like shaped seed pad; small, cylindrical, brown seeds

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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