412 XCII. VERBENACE^E. VERBENA 



1. V. HASTATA. Vervain. Simpler'' s Joy. 



Erect; Ivs. lanceolate, acuminate, incisely serrate, petiolate, the lower 

 ones lobed or hastate ; spikes erect, slender, panicled ;fls. tetrandrous. 7J. An erect, 

 tall and elegant plant, frequent by roadsides and in low grounds, mostly through- 

 out the U. S. and Can. Stem 3 4f high, with paniculate, opposite branches 

 above. Leaves rough in appearance and to the touch, opposite, lower ones 

 often somewhat hastate. Flowers small, blue, arranged in" long, close, imbri- 

 cated spikes, which are somewhat fascicled at the summit of the stem, erect 

 and parallel to each other. Seeds 4. July Sept. 



3. pinnatijida. Lvs. incisely pinnatifid and coarsely dentate. Western States ! 

 common. 



y. oblongifolia. Nutt. (V. paniculata. Lam.} Lvs. lance-ovate or lance-ob- 

 long, sharply serrate ; spikes filiform, loosely paniculate ; Jls. smaller. Penn. 

 to la. ! and Mo. I have frequently observed this tall (4 6f) variety, and many 

 others, on the sandy prairies of Indiana. They appear to be hybrids between 

 V. hastata and V. urticcefolia. 



2. V. URTICJEFOUA. Nettle-leaved Vervain. 



Erect, subpubescent ; Lvs. ovate and ovate-lanceolate, serrate, acute, petio- 

 late ; strikes axillary and terminal, loose, filiform ; Jls. tetrandrous. 1\. About 

 roadgides and rubbish. A weed of uninviting appearance, 2 3f high, with 

 leaves resembling those of the nettle. It has long, slender, weak, green, diver- 

 gent spikes, remotely filled with small, white, distinct flowers. Seeds 4. Jl. Aug. 



3. V. SPURIA. Spurious or Jagged-leaved Vervain. 



St. decumbent at base, divaricately branching, hairy ; Ivs. ovate-lanceo- 

 late, petiolate, laciniately lobed and toothed ; spikes slender, loose ; brads a 

 little longer than the calyx. Conn. Eaton, Md. ! to Ga. and Western States. 

 An unsightly plant, with a square stem 1 2f high, half erect, di- and tricho- 

 tomous above. Spikes 3 6' long, the bracts and flowers, minute. Calyx 1' in 

 length. Corolla blue. Aug. Sept. This plant appears to be constantly though 

 slightly different from V. officinalis of Europe. 



4. V. BRACTKOSA. Michx. (Zapania. Lam.} Prostrate Verbena. 



St. decumbent, branched, divaricate, pilose ; Ivs. laciniate, hirsute, ru- 

 gose ; spikes terminal, thick, many-flowered ; bracts linear, squarrose, much 

 longer than the calyx. Dry fields and roadsides, Middle and Western States! 

 Whole plant hairy, 8 1G' long, remarkable lor its squarrose-bracteate spikes. 

 Leaves 1 2' long. Flowers small, blue. Capsule 4-celled, 4-seeded. Seeds 

 bony. -June Sept. 



5. V. STRICTA. Vent. Mullein-leaved Verbena. 



Hirsute and hairy ; st. thick, rigidly erect, branched above ; Ivs. ovate, 

 oval or obovate, unequally dentate, sessile, acute, rugose; spikes erect, strict, 

 imbricate, subfalcate. An erect, rigid, and rather handsome species, in dry 

 fields, Western States ! common. Very hirsute, 1 3f high. Leaves 2 3' by 

 12', numerous, veiny and whitish beneath. Corolla blue, thrice larger than 

 in V. hastata. July. 



6. V. ANGUSTIFOLIA. Michx. (V. rugosa. Willd.} Narrow-leaved Vervain. 

 Erect, mostly simple ; Ivs. lanceolate-linear, tapering to the base, remotely 



serrate, with furrowed veins; spikes filiform, solitary, axillary and terminal. 

 A'small, hairy species, found on rocky hills and in otherdry soils, N. Y. to Va.! 

 W. to the Miss. Stem not more than a foot high, with narrow (3' by 5"), rough 

 leaves and slender spikes of deep blue flowers. July. 



7. V. AUBLETU. Garden Verbena. St. weak, assurgent; spikes solitary, 

 imbricate, long-pedunculate; divisions of the cor. emarginate ; Ivs. oval, deeply 

 serrate and divided, petiolate. Native at the South. A slender and delicate 

 plant of the green-house, producing numerous, successive clusters of rose- 

 colored or scarlet flowers, Stem square, viscidly pubescent, 1 2f high, with 

 opposite branches and caves. Leaves deeply cut and toothed, rhombic- 

 oval, on short stalks. Flowers larger than others of the genus, in corymbose 

 spikes. Bracts nearly as long as the calyx, narrow, permanent, downy as well 

 PS the calyx. May. 



