412 XCII. VERBENACEiE. Verbena. 



1. V. HAST ATA. Vervain. Simpkr's Joy. 



Erect; Ivs. lanceolate, acuminate, incisely serrate, petiolate, the lower 

 oneslobed or hastate ; spikes erect, slender, panicled ;/s. tetrandrous. — % An erect, 

 tall and elegant plant, frequent by roadsides and in low grounds, mostly through- 

 out the U. S. and Can. Stem 3 — 4f high, with paniculate, opposite branches 

 above. Leaves rough in appearance and to the touch, opposite, lower ones 

 often somewhat hastate. Flowers small, blue, arranged in long, close, imbri- 

 cated spikes, which are somewhat fascicled at the summit of the stem, erect 

 and parallel to each other. Seeds 4. July — Sept. 



fi. pinnatijlda. Dvs. incisely pinnatifid and coarsely dentate. — "Western States ! 

 common. 



y. oblongifoUa. Nutt. (V. paniculata. Lam.) Iais. lance-ovate or lance-ob- 

 long, sharply serrate ; spikes filiform, loosely paniculate ; Jis. smaller. — Penn. 

 to la. ! and Mo. I have frequently observed this tall (4 — 6f) variety, and many 

 others, on the sandy prairies of Indiana. They appear to be hybrids between 

 V. hastata and V. urticaefolia. 



2. V. urticjEfolia. Nettle-leaved Vervain. 



Erect, subpubescent ; Ivs. ovate and ovate-lanceolate, serrate, acute, petio- 

 late ; spikes axillary and terminal, loose, filiform ; Jls. tetrandrous. — 7|. About 

 roadsides and rubbish. A weed of uninviting appearance, 2 — 3f high, with 

 leaves resembling those of the nettle. It has long, slender, weak, green, diver- 

 gent spikes, remotely filled with small, white, distinct flowers. Seeds 4. Jl. Aug. 



3. V. SPURIA. Spurious or Jagged-leaved Vervain. 



St. decumbent at base, divaricately branching, hairy ; Ivs. ovate-lanceo- 

 late, petiolate, laciniately lobed and toothed ; spikes slender, loose ; bracts a 

 little longer than the calyx. — Conn. Eaton, Md. ! to Ga. and Western States. 

 An unsightly plant, with a square stem 1 — 2f high, half erect, di- and tricho- 

 tomous above. Spikes 3 — 6' long, the bracts and flowers minute. Calyx I' in 

 length. Corolla blue. Aug. Sept. — This plant appears to be constantly though 

 slightly different from V. officinalis of Europe. 



4. V. BRACTEosA. Michx. (Zapania. Lam.) Prostrate Verbena. 



St. decumbent, branched, divaricate, pilose ; Ivs. laciniate, hirsute, ru- 

 gose ; spikes terminal, thick, many-flowered ; hacts linear, squarrose, much 

 longer than the calyx. — Dry fields and roadsides, Middle and Western States I 

 Whole plant hairy, 8 — 16' long, remarkable for its squarrose-bracteate spikes. 

 Leaves 1 — 2' long. Flowers small, blue. Capsule 4-celled, 4-seeded. Seeds 

 bony. June — Sept. 



5. V. sTRicTA. Vent. Mullein-leaved Verbena. 



Hirsute and hairy ; 5^. thick, rigidly erect, branched above ; Ivs. ovate, 

 oval or obovate, unequally dentate, sessile, acute, rugose; spikes erect, strict, 

 imbricate, subfalcate. — An erect, rigid, and rather handsome species, in dry 

 fields, Western States ! common. Very hirsute, 1 — 3f high. Leaves 2 — 3' by 

 1 — 2', numerous, veiny and whitish beneath. Corolla blue, thrice larger than 

 in V. hastata. July. 



6. V. ANGUsTiFOLiA. Michx. (V. rugosa. Willd.) Narrmc-leaved Vervain. 

 Erect, mostly simple ; Ivs. lanceolate-linear, tapering to the base, remotely 



serrate, with furrowed veins ; spikes filiform, solitary, axillary and terminal.— 

 A small, hairy species, found on rocky hills and in other dry soils, N. Y. to Va. ! 

 W. to the Miss. Stem not more than a foot high, with narrow (3' by 5"), rough 

 leaves and slender spikes of deep blue flowers. July. 



7. y. AuBLETiA. Garden Verbena. — St. weak, assurgent; spikes solitary, 

 imbricate, long-pedunculate ; divisions of the cor. emarginate ; Ivs. oval, deeply 

 serrate and divided, petiolate. — Native at the South. A slender and delicate 

 plant of the green-house, producing numerous, successive clusters of rose- 

 colored or scarlet flowers. Stem square, viscidly pubescent, 1 — 2f high, with 

 opposite branches and leaves. Leaves deeply cut and toothed, rhombic- 

 oval, on short stalks. Flowers larger than others of the genus, in corymbose 

 spikes. Bracts nearly as long as the calyx, narrow, permanent, downy as w^ll 

 as the calyx, May. 



