VERBENA 563 



VERBENACEJE, OR VERVAIN FAMILY 



A family of 1200 species of shrubs or trees, especially distributed 

 in the tropics and sparingly represented in the cooler regions. The 

 leaves are opposite or verticillate; the flowers are irregular, having a 

 bi-labiate or irregular corolla, and didynamous stamens; the fruits 

 are either drupe-like or somewhat capsular, consisting of 2 to 4 

 nutlets. The stems are not infrequently quadrangular in section. 

 The tracheae and wood fibers usually have simple pores. The 

 stomata are surrounded by a number of ordinary epidermal cells, 

 occasionally they possess 2 subsidiary cells which are distributed 

 transversely to the pore. Calcium oxalate occurs in the form of small 

 acicular or prismatic crystals. The glandular hairs have a unicellular 

 or uniseriate stalk, the head being composed of 6 to 8 cells. A num- 

 ber of types of non-glandular hairs occur in the various genera of 

 this family. An anomalous structure is developed in some of the 

 lianes. 



VERBENA. American Blue Verbain or Wild Hyssop. The 

 over-ground plant of Verbena hastata (Fam. Verbenacese), a perennial 

 herb, growing in moist meadows throughout the central and eastern 

 United States. The plant is gathered at the time of flowering, during 

 the summer, and should be carefully dried and preserved. 



Description. Stems quadrangular, attaining a length of 1 or 

 more M., and from 1 to 6 mm. in diameter; externally reddish- 

 brown, longitudinally wrinkled and having a deep furrow between 

 the ribs, rough puberulent throughout; internally yellowish-white 

 with a thin brown bark, a yellowish-white quadrangular wood 

 and a hollow pith. Leaves opposite, long petiolate, from 4 to 15 

 cm. in length and 0.7 to 4 cm. in width; lanceolate or oblong-lanceo- 

 late, summit acute tapering; base rounded, inequilateral; margin 

 sharply serrate; upper surface greenish-brown, glabrous; lower 

 surface purplish-green, rough puberulent, with a prominent midrib 

 and veins of the first order, the latter diverging at an angle of about 

 65 and uniting near the margin; petioles 1 to 3 cm. in length, slender, 

 and rough puberulent; odor distinct; taste bitter. 



Constituents. A glucoside, verbenalin, which crystallizes in 

 needles and is apparently non-toxic. Also a bitter principle, tannic 

 acid, emulsin, and invertin. 



Lippia Mexicana. OROSUL, REGALIZ DE CUBA. The leaves of 

 Lippia dulcis (Fam. Verbenaceae), a trailing shrub, widely distributed 

 in tropical America. The leaves are gathered at the time of the 

 flowering of the plant, from November to March, and carefully dried. 



