412 XCIL VERBENACEZ. ~ - VERBENs. 
1. V. HasTAva. Vervain. Simpler’s Joy. 
Erect; /vs. lanceolate, acuminate, incisely serrate, petiolate, the lower 
ones lobed or hastate ; spikes erect, slender, panicled ; fls. tetrandrous.—2. 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. 
8. pinnatifida. Lvs. incisely pinnatifid and coarsely dentate.—Western States ! 
common. 
y. oblongifolia. Nutt. (V. paniculata. Lam.) ws. lance-ovate or lance-ob- 
long, sharply serrate; spikes filiform, loosely paniculate; fls. smaller.—Penn. 
to Ia.! and Mo. I have frequently observed this tall (4—6f) variety, and many 
others, on the sandy prairies of Indiana. They appear to be Aybrids between 
Y. hastata and V. urticefolia. 
2. V. urtic@rouia. Nettle-leaved Vervain. 
Erect, subpubescent ; /vs. ovate and ovate-lanceolate, serrate, acute, petio- 
late ; spikes axillary and terminal, loose, filiform ; fs. tetrandrous.—2 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; lvs.. 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- 
tcmous above. Spikes 3—6’ long, the bracts and flowers minute. Calyx 1’ in 
length. Corolla blue. Aug. Sept.—This plant appears to be constantly though 
slightly different from V. officinalis of Europe. - 
4, V. practeosa. Michx. (Zapania. Lam.) Prostrate Verbena. 
St. decumbent, branched, divaricate, pilose; dws. laciniate, hirsute, ru- 
gose; spikes terminal, thick, many-flowered; bracts linear, squarrose, much 
longer than the calyx.—Dry fields and roadsides, Middle and Western States! 
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-ieaved Verbena. 
Hirsute and hairy; st. thick; rigidly erect, branched above; dvs. 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. ancustirotia. Michx. (V. rugosa. Willd.) Narrow-leaved Vervain. 
Erect, mostly simple ; dvs. lanceolaie-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. ¥. to Va.! 
W. to the Miss. Siem not more thana foot high, with narrow (3’ by 5”), rough 
leaves and slender spikes of deep blue flowers. July. 
7. V. AvBueTia. Garden Verbena.—St. weak, assurgent; spikes solitary, 
imbricate, long-pedunculate ; divisions of the cor. emarginate ; lvs. 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 well 
as the calyx. May. 
