VERVAIN FAMILY. Verbenaceae. 



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

 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. 1-2 J feet high. Road- 

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

 and S. Dak. Naturalized from Europe. 



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 

 Vervain 

 Verbena stem, 'and minutely hairy leaves, deeply 



officinalis cleft and sharp-toothed ; the upper ones 



Purplish lance-shaped and toothless, the lower 



ovate and sharply divided; all deep green. 

 September ^ke 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 

 Vervain flowers; usually with erect slightly rough- 



Verbena hairy stem four-sided and grooved, and 



urticcefolia coarsely toothed, deep green leaves, all or 

 White nearly all with distinct stems, acute, and 



s" tember 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. The var. 

 riparia has deeply cut leaves, and purple flowers. N. J c 

 to N. Car. 



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