VERBENACEAE VERVAIN FAMILY 
WHITE VERVAIN 
Verbena urticaefolia L. 
Most members of the Vervain family are tropical and many 
are shrubs or even trees. The relatively few species that occur 
in Illinois are herbs. Only the Verbenas of our gardens are of 
economic importance, 
at least in this climate, 
though some tropical 
members, such as 
Teak, furnish excellent 
ship timber. The fam- 
ily is distinguished 
from the Mint family, 
which follows, chiefly 
on the basis of the un- 
lobed ovary. The 100 
members of the genus 
Verbena are confined 
to the Americas, with 
the possible exception 
of one which is also 
found in the Mediter- 
ranean region. 
The White Vervain 
is widely distributed, be- 
ing found in waste places 
from New Brunswick to 
South Dakota and south to Florida and Texas. The slender 4- 
sided stem grows 3-5 feet high. The leaves resemble those of 
some of the Nettles. They are 1 4-5 inches long, ovate, oblong or 
oblong-lanceolate, thin, cut toothed and petioled or the upper- 
most sessile. 
Long slender spikes, erect or somewhat drooping, bear the 
very small white flowers, barely one-eighth inch in diameter. 
They bloom from June to frost and as this species hybridizes 
readily with others all sorts of color and size forms may be found. 
Usually a number of the spikes grow from axils of the upper 
bracts so that the inflorescence is large and spreading. The fruits 
are oblong, less than one-eighth inch long, and scattered along 
the spikes instead of overlapping. 
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