VERVAIN FAMILY. Verbenaceae. 



A small, rough-hairy species with a slen- 

 Narrow=Ieaved ^^ • i ^ t t 



Vervain *^^^'' often simple stem. Leaves linear and 



Verbena lance-shaped, the lower ones broad at the 



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

 Pale violet ^j. j^gg toothed and veiny. Flower-spikes 

 few or single, densely clustered with pale 

 violet flowers about j inch wide. 8-22 inches high. Diy 

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

 . One of the handsomest 3-et commonest 



Verbena members of the genus. The stem erect, 



hastata stout, four-sided and grooved, roughish^ 



Deep purple and dull green. The short-stemmed leaves 

 **"'^~ 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 upw^ard, 

 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 honej'bee and the bees of the genus Halictus. 

 The smaller butterflies are also occasional visitors, 

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

 In fields everywhere. Rare in central N. H. 



A tall plant. The stalk is four-sided, 

 Phruma hollow^ and strong-fibred, branching di- 



leptostachya vergeiitly above. The deep green leaves 

 Crimsoned ^re thin, coarsely toothed, and arranged 



magenta ^^^ pairs, each pair set at right angles with 



the next ; the upper leaves nearly stemless 

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

 i^pike 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 

 w^oods. Me., soutli, west to Minn, and Kan. 



386 



