3446 



VERBENA 



VERBESINA 



times called Italian verbena. The name is variously 

 spelled. Gn. 73, p. 31. 



cc. Bracts about as long as calyx or a little shorter: 

 plant annual. 



7. erinoides, Lam. (V. multifida, Ruiz & Pav. V. 

 pulchella, Hort., in part). Moss VERBENA. Annual or 

 perennial: st. strigose hairy or somewhat hirsute, 

 branching, decumbent, rooting; branches ascending: 

 Ivs. ovate in outline, cuneate base decurrent into the 

 petiole, deeply 3-parted and the divisions pinnatifid 

 into narrow linear acute lobes, subrevolute on margins, 



'/i 



3911. The common garden verbena. Sometimes known 

 as V. hybrida. ( XI) 



strigose especially on nerves: spikes terminal, solitary, 

 pedunculate, soon elongating and relaxing, canescent 

 hairy: bracts lanceolate, acuminate, spreading, one- 

 half as long to as long or longer than the calyx: corolla 

 rather small, shortly exserted, lilac, bearded within; 

 anther appendages exserted, rather short. Said by 

 Dr. Gillies to be "one of the commonest plants on the 

 Alps of Chile and Mendoza . . . varying extremely 

 in color of flowers, in stature and in degree in which the 

 leaves are cut." In some individuals the fls. are said to 

 be scarlet, in others blue or purple. Forms assignable to 

 this species occur also in the southern states of Brazil. 

 The species is probably a composite one as now recog- 

 nized. B.R. 1766 (as V. multifida var. contracta). 



Variable species characterized by distinct finely cut 

 foliage and rosy lilac to deep purple fls., but the clusters 

 and individual fls. are too small to make it popular. 



BB. Fls. lilac: plants annual. 

 c. Lvs. twice pinnatifid. 



8. bipinnatifida, Nutt. (V. pulchella of some seeds- 

 men. V. montana, Hort., in part). Perennial, prostrate 

 and rooting at base; sts. stout, upright, branched, 6-18 

 in. high: Ivs. rather thick, petioled, 1-2 J^ in. long, 

 scabrous above, ovate in outline, bipinnately parted or 

 3-parted into numerous oblong, rather acute lobes 1-3 

 lines broad: spikes solitary, dense to rather lax, at first 

 capitate, becoming 2-4 in. long in fr.: corolla 5-8 lines 

 long, purple or lilac, limb 4-5 lines broad, lobes emar- 

 ginate to obcordate; throat of corolla provided with a 

 palisade of short hairs; upper stamens bearing each a 

 small oval to oblong purplish gland. S. D. to Mex., east 

 of the Rockies. Fls. become bluish purple in drying. 



cc. Lvs. once pinnatifid. 



9. canadensis, Brit. (Buchnera canadensis, Linn. V. 

 Aubletia, Jacq. V. Aubletia var. Drummondii, Lindl. 

 V. Drummondii, Hort. V. Ldmbertii, Sims. V. mon- 

 tana, Hort., in part). Fig. 3912. Perennial, pubescent, 

 with rather stiff hairs or glabrate : branches slender and 

 ascending from a sometimes creeping rooting base, 



6-18 in. high: Ivs. ovate or ovate-oblong in out- 

 line, 1-3 in. long, truncate, broadly cuneate or 

 subcordate at base and the petiole more or less 

 margined, incisely lobed and toothed, often 

 deeply 3-cleft: spikes peduncled, dense, short 

 and capitate in early fl., becoming 2-4 in. long 

 in fr. : bracts subulate, mostly shorter than the 

 calyx these and the calyx densely glandular- 

 pubescent: calyx-teeth unequal, filiform-subu- 

 late; corolla 6-10 lines long, from bluish purple 

 or lilac to rosy purple or white, frequently ap- 

 proaching blue in dried specimens; limb 3/2~/4m- 

 broad, lobes oblong or obovate, emarginate and 

 more or less revolute near the sinuses, throat 

 provided with palisade of short white hairs; 

 upper anthers bearing each a light brown, oblong 

 gland which is barely exserted. Colo, and Mex. 

 eastward across the continent. B.M. 308; 2200. 

 B.R. 294; 1925. Reported as producing many 

 garden and spontaneous hybrids. Garden forms 

 are of stouter habit, less inclined to root at base : 

 Ivs. larger, dark shiny green above, more con- 

 spicuously veiny, clusters and individual fls. 

 larger, and the color variation more striking. 

 Many forms have a rich spicy fragrance quite 

 different from that of the hybrid verbenas. On 

 account of the robust healthy nature of V. cana- 

 densis, it has been frequently recommended in 

 horticultural literature as desirable for hybridiz- 

 ing with the hybrid verbenas to improve their 

 constitution. The cross would probably be too 

 radical for best results. It is to be regretted 

 that this charming species which is thought well 

 of in Eu. should be neglected in its native 

 country. 



V. radicans is listed as an alpine species of trailing habit and with 

 crimson fls., suitable for rock-gardens. The V. radicans of botanists 

 (Gill & Hook. ) is an Andean species with procumbent rooting sts. , 

 glabrous divided Ivs. with ultimate segms. very narrow, and lilac- 

 colored fragrant fls. in short head-like spikes, j jj COWEN 



L. H. B.f 



VERBENA, LEMON: Lippia. V., Sand: Abronia. 



VERBESINA (probably a meaningless alteration of 

 Verbena). Composite. CROWNBEARD. Annual or per- 

 ennial herbs, or some tropical species shrubby. 



Leaves alternate or opposite, often decurrent: heads 

 corymbose or solitary, of yellow or white fls. ; rays some- 

 times wanting, pistillate or neutral : achenes flattened or 

 those of the rays 3-sided, their margins winged or not; 



