VERBENA CEAE. JJ7 



longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary superior, 2-4-celled (rarely 8-10-celled), 

 composed of 2 carpels, each carpel with 2 anatropous or amphitropous 

 ovules, thus in 4-celled ovaries 1 ovule in each cavity; style terminal; 

 stigmas 1 or 2. Fruit dry, separating at maturity into 2-4 nutlets, or a 

 drupe containing the 2-4 nutlets. Endosperm little or none, or rarely 

 fleshy; embryo straight. About 70 genera and 1200 species, of vvic'e 

 geographic distribution. 



Flowers in heads or spikes; ovary 2-4-celled; fruit of 2 or 4 erect nutlets; ours herbs. 



Corolla-limb 5-lobed, regular or nearly so; nutlets 4. 1. Verbena. 



Corolla-limb 4-lobed, 2-lipped; nutlets 2. 2. Lippia. 



Flowers in axillary cymes; shrubs; fruit drupaceous. 3. Callicarpa. 



1. VERBENA L. (See Appendix.) 



Herbs (some exotic species shrubby), mostly with opposite leaves, and 

 bracted flowers, in terminal spikes. Calyx usually tubular, 5-angled, unequally 

 5 -toothed. Corolla salverform or funnelform, the limb spreading. Connective of 

 the anthers unappendaged, or sometimes provided with a gland. Ovary 4-celled; 

 ovule I in each cavity; style usually short, 2-lobed at the summit, one of the lobes 

 stigmatic. Fruit mostly enclosed by the calyx, at length separating into 4, 1 -seeded 

 linear or linear-oblong crustaceous nutlets. [Latin name of a sacred herb.] About 

 100 species, natives of Am., or a single one indigenous in the Mediterranean 

 region. Besides the following, some 13 others occur in the southern and western 

 parts of N. Am. 



Flowers 4-10 mm. long, in narrow spikes; anthers unappendaged. 

 Spikes filiform or slender; bracts shorter than the flowers. 

 Spikes filiform; fruit scattered; corolla usually white. 



Leaves incised or pinnatifid; diffuse annual; fruit short. 



1. V. officinalis. 

 Leaves serrate (rarely incised); erect perennial; fruit oblong. 



2. V. urticifolia. 

 Spikes slender; fruits densely imbricated; corolla blue. 



Plants glabrous or sparingly rough-pubescent; corolla 4-6 mm. long. 

 Leaves lanceolate, acuminate, petioled. 3. V. hastata. 



Leaves linear to spatulate-lanceolate, mostly obtuse and sessile. 



4. V. angustifolia. 

 Plants densely soft-pubescent; corolla 8-10 mm. long. 



5. V. stricta. 

 Spikes thick, dense; bracts longer than the flowers. 6. V. bracteosa. 



Flowers 14-25 mm. long, in short dense elongating spikes; connective of the longer 

 stamens appendaged. 

 Corolla-limb 12-20 mm. broad; bracts mostly shorter than the calyx. 



7. V. Canadensis. 

 Corolla-limb 8-10 mm. broad; bracts equalling or exceeding the calyx. 



8. V. bipinnatijida. 



i. Verbena officinalis L. European Vervain. Herb-of-the-Cross. 

 Berbine. (I. F. f. 3057.) Stem 4-sided, glabrous or nearly so, diffusely branched, 

 3-9 dm. high. Leaves minutely pubescent the lower deeply incised or 1-2 pin- 

 natifid, ovate, oblong, or obovate, 2-8 cm. long, narrowed into margined petioles, 

 the teeth acute; upper leaves linear or lanceolate, acute, entire, sessile; spikes fili- 

 form, at length 10-13 cm. long; fruits less than 2 mm. high, scattered; bracts 

 ovate, acuminate; corolla purplish or white, the limb 2-4 mm. broad. In waste 

 and culivated ground, Me. to Fla. and Tex. Also on the Pacific Coast. Nat. 

 from the Old World. June-Sept. 



2. Verbena urticifolia L. White or Nettle-leaved Vervain. (I. F. f. 

 3058.) Usually pubescent; stem strict, 4-sided, 9-15 dm. high, the branches up- 

 right. Leaves ovate, oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, all petioled, or the uppcrm<,>t 

 sessile, serrate-dentate, thin, acute or acuminate, 3-13 cm. long; spikes filiform, 

 at length 1-I.5 dm. long; fruits oblong, about 2 mm. high; bracts ovate, acumi- 

 nate; corolla white or pale purple, its limb about 2 mm. broad. In fields and 

 waste places. N. B. to S. Dak., Kans.. Fla. and Tex. Hybridizes with V. bract- 

 eosa, V. hastata and V. stricta. June-Sept. 



