Verbena hastata (Blue vervain)

Verbena hastata L.

Blue vervain, blue verbena, swamp vervain, Simpler’s joy, common verbena

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	hastata	“Spear-shaped”

About plant names...

Blue vervain is native to eastern North America. They have a preference for moist ground. The first time I saw them, I thought I had caught them just beginning to bloom, since only a small portion of each flower stalk was in bloom. But that’s how they operate. Each flower stalk looks a little like a fuse, with a burning blue spark hissing along its length.

Identification: Plants are 24-60" (60-152 cm) high, with stiff red or green stems that are square in cross-section and sometimes coated with fine white hairs. They have opposite leaves up to 6" (15 cm) × 1" (2.5 cm), serrated with teeth that vary in size. On the upper half of the plant, the stem branches into several stiff spikes up to 5" (12 cm) long, with attractive blue-purple flowers. Individual flowers are less than ¼" (6.3 mm) around, with five petals. Blooming begins at the bottom of each spike, moving upward as a ring of flowers. Flowers appear from July to September. Fruits are four long, narrow nutlets that separate.

Online References:

Verbena hastata on Missouriplants.com

Verbena hastata at Illinois Wildflowers

Verbena hastata on

Verbena hastata at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Verbena hastata on the USDA Plants Database

Verbena hastata at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Verbena hastata from the Jepson Manual