Summary ³

Verbena urticifolia, known as nettle-leaved vervain or white vervain, is a herbaceous plant in the vervain family (Verbenaceae). It belongs to the "true" vervains of genus Verbena.

Description ⁴

Family:
Verbenaceae (Verbena)

Height:
3 to 6 feet

Leaves and Stems:
Nettle-like leaves (up to 6” long and 2½” wide) are ovate in shape, coarsely toothed, and lightly hairy, with prominent veins and pointed tips. Leaves are oppositely attached to square, hairy stems by leaf stalks (petioles) up to 2” long.

Flower:
Many small, white, 5-petaled flowers (up to ⅛” across each) grow along slender spikes (around 6” long), with the highest concentration of flowers near the tip of each spike. Flowers bloom a few at a time, and may occasionally be pale purple or pale blue in color. Floral spikes grow in the form of branching panicles, which emerge from the leaf axils of the upper plant to form airy, spreading clusters.

Bloom time:
July-October

Nicknames:
Nettle-leaf Vervain

Habitat:
White Vervain grows in conditions ranging from full shade to full sun, but prefers partial shade and moist to well-drained, fertile, loamy soils. It is commonly found growing in thickets, woodland edges, moist meadows, and in areas with a history of disturbance, such as along roadsides and footpaths, and in fallow fields or powerline clearings.

Wildlife Benefits:
Flowers are attractive to a wide variety of bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies. Seeds are a food source for granivorous songbirds, especially sparrows. Foliage is a food source for several species of insect larvae.

Can I plant this in my garden?
While native, this species can spread aggressively under the right conditions, and is best planted among other competitive vegetation to promote diversity. It does well in moist, fertile, loamy soils, and is a good candidate for the somewhat drier areas along lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/white-vervain
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/wh_vervain.htm
https://www.prairiemoon.com/verbena-urticifolia-white-vervain-prairie-moon-nursery.html
https://friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/whitevervain.html

Range ⁴

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Chris, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Chris
2. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
3. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_urticifolia
4. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNaturalistAU taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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