VERVAIN FAMILY. Verbenaceas. 



silvery light green leaves, linear lance-shaped, toothless s 

 and stemless. The flowers are rather showy, tubular or 

 vase-shaped with five rounded unequal divisions ; the 

 four stamens, which, with the pistil, are pink, extend 

 far beyond the limit of the corolla. The flower-spike 

 one-sided, at first closely coiled, but finally long and but 

 slightly curved ; the blossoms are pink, but the mature 

 flower is light ultramarine violet. l-2£ feet high. Road- 

 sides and pastures from Me. to Va. , and west to Nev. 

 and S. Dak. Naturalized from Europe. The name 

 Greek, e^zS, meaning a viper. Rare in central N. H. 



VERVAIN FAMILY. Verbenacece. 



Generally herbs (at least in our range) with opposite 

 leaves and perfect, more or less irregular flowers in ter- 

 minal clusters. The corolla with united petals, uniform 

 in shape, or two-lipped, the tube generally cylindrical 

 and spreading into 4-5 lobes. Four stamens, two long 

 and two short, or very rarely only two. Probably self- 

 fertilized, though cross-fertilization may occur, assisted 

 by the honeybee, bumblebee, and the beelike flies. 



A troublesome annual weed with a four- 

 European sided, slender, nearly smooth, branching 

 Verbena stem, and minutely hairy leaves, deeply 

 officinalis cleft and sharp-toothed ; the upper ones 

 Purplish lance-shaped and toothless, the lower 

 or white ovate and sharply divided; all deep green. 

 September ^ ne sma ^ P a ^ e purple or white flowers in 

 branching spikes about 5 inches long, in- 

 conspicuous and uninteresting. 1-3 feet high. In waste 

 places everywhere. Naturalized from Europe. 



A similar perennial species with white 



White 



Vervain flowers; usually with erect slightly rough- 



Verbena hairy stem four-sided and grooved, and 



urticoBfolia coarsely toothed, deep green leaves, all or 



White nearly all with distinct stems, acute, and 



g u y ~ . slightly hairy. The flower-spikes at length 



very long, the white flowers very small. 



3-5 feet high. In fields and waste places, from Me., 



south, and west to Minn. , S. Dak. , and Tex. 



384 



