VERVAIN FAMILY. Verbenaceae. 



A small, rough-hairy species with a slen- 



Vervain ^er, of ten simple stem. Leaves linear and 



Verbena lance-shaped, the lower ones broad at the 



angustifolia tip and wedge-shaped at the base, all more 



Pale violet or j esg toothed and veiny. Flower-spikes 



few or single, densely clustered with pale 



violet flowers about \ inch wide. 8-22 inches high. Dry 



borders of fields. Mass. , south, and west to Minn, and Ark. 



• , ■ , One of the handsomest yet commonest 



Blue Vervain , _ . 



Verbena members of the genus. The stem erect, 



hastuta stout, four-sided and grooved, roughish^ 



Deep purple and dull green. The short-stemmed leaves 

 Ju,y ~ dark green, lance-shaped or oblong lance- 



shaped, acutely incised with double teeth, 

 and with a rough surface ; the lower leaves are more or 

 less three-lobed. The flower-spikes are numerous and 

 branch upward like the arms of a candelabra ; the 

 flowers bloom from the foot of the cluster upward, 

 a few at a time, leaving behind a long line of purple- 

 tinged calyx ; the tiny blossoms are deep purple or 

 violet — either one hue or the other. The flowers never 

 approach blue or any hue allied to it, so the common 

 name is misleading. Verbena hastata is a special fa- 

 vorite of the bumblebee, and it is also closely attended 

 by the honeybee and the bees of the genus Halictus. 

 The smaller butterflies are also occasional visitors, 

 among them the white Pieris protodice. 3-7 feet high. 

 In fields everywhere. Rare in central N. H. 



A tall plant. The stalk is four-sided, 

 Phryma hollow, and strong-fibred, branching di- 



leptostachya vergently above. The deep green leaves 

 Crimson- are thin, coarsely toothed, and arranged 



magenta j n p a j rSj eac h p a i r se t a t right angles with 



the next ; the upper leaves nearly stemless 

 and ovate pointed ; the lower oval. The slender flower- 

 Bpike bears little two-lipped flowers (the lower lip is 

 three-parted) set in pairs at right angles with each 

 other. The flowers are crimson-pink with a magenta 

 tinge. The blackish seed- receptacle hook-pointed. In 

 woods. Me., south, west to Minn, and Kan. 



336 



