Verbena urticifolia L.
White vervain
Kingdom Plantae Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom Tracheobionta Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division Magnoliophyta Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass Asteridae A large class that encompasses asters
Order Lamiales Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family Verbenaceae Verbena (vervain) family, about 3,000 species
Genus Verbena From the word meaning “vervain”
Species urticifolia Leaves resemble those of the nettle family (Urticaceae)
About plant names...
White vervain is native to North America.
Identification: Plants are 1-3′ (40-101 cm) tall, with a main stem that
is hairy, hollow, and roughly square in cross-section. Leaves are opposite and unlobed,
deeply veined, with irregular teeth. They are up to 6″ (15 cm) × 2″ (5 cm), varying from
lance-shaped (lanceolate ) to oval (ovate ), on stems (petioles ) up to 2″ (5 cm) long. The flowering spikes are the most unique feature of these plants: multiply branched, up to 10″ (25 cm) long and very narrow,
disorderly looking, with tiny white flowers less than ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around. Only a few flowers appear at
a time, and they are small enough so that the spikes are mostly green.
Online References:
Illinois Wildflowers
Missouriplants.com
Minnesota Wildflowers
The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
7/12/2016 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area,
7/17/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
8/6/2013 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts
7/12/2016 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area,
8/6/2013 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts
8/21/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)
Verbena urticifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/17/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
8/2/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)
7/17/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
8/21/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
7/12/2016 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area,
7/12/2016 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area,
8/6/2013 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts
8/2/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)
7/17/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)
8/6/2013 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts
Range:
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