Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Native Perennial
Seed Count: approx. 100
Days to Germinate: 30 days of cold, moist stratification is necessary; see https://rochesterpollinators.org/pages/winter for more info
Depth to Sow: 1/4"
Seed Spacing: Once the seedling is 2” tall, plant 1’ apart.
Color: purple - blue
Height: up to 3' to 5'
Bloom Time: May - July
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist to Wet
Soil Type: Moist Soils; Loam; Peat, Sand
Attracts: Butterflies, Bees, Songbirds, Flies, Beetles.
Natural Habitat: Moist prairies; damp thickets; borders of rivers and ponds; marshes; and ditches
Drought Tolerance: low
Deer Resistance: high
Larval Host: Common Buckeye moth & Verbena moth
Native Zone: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT , WA, WI, WV, WY
Description
Blue Vervain is a 2-6 ft., stout-stemmed perennial with numerous, pencil-like flower spikes branched upwards like the arms of a candelabra. Each flower spike has a ring of blue-purple flowers; the flowers at the bottom of the spike bloom first, and the ring of flowers appears to advance upward to the tips of the spike. The stiff, pencil-like spikes are at the top of a square, grooved stem and its branches.
This species is a member of the verbena family (family Verbenaceae), which includes about 75 genera and 3,000 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly of tropical and warm temperate regions. Among them, teak is a highly prized furniture wood, and Vervain, Lantana, Lippia or Frog Fruit, and Chase Tree or Vitex are grown as ornamentals.
Bumblebees are among the important pollinators. In ancient times the plant was thought to be a cure-all among medicinal plants and the genus name is Latin for "sacred plant."
Source: www.wildflower.org