Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades in Washington; widely distributed throughout North America.
Habitat: Disturbed open areas in natural and impacted settings including roadsides and waste lots.
Flowers: May-September
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial, Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, butterflies, flies
Taprooted annual or perennial with numerous prostrate or decumbent stems 1-6 dm. long.
Leaves closely strigose with winged petioles, the blade 2-5 cm. long and 1-2.5 cm. wide, irregularly toothed and cleft, often with one or two pairs of lower segments well differentiated from the larger terminal segment.
Inflorescence of racemes terminating the main stem and branches, up to 1.5 dm. long; leaves passing abruptly into the entire, lance-linear bracts of the raceme, these spreading, 5-15 mm. long, surpassing the 2.5-4 mm. calyx; calyx 5-angled and unequally 5-toothed; corolla inconspicuous, usually bluish or pinkish, the tube about 4 mm. long, the flaring limb 2-3 mm. wide; stamens 4; style slender, 2-cleft, only one lobe stigmatic; ovary superior, with 2 carpels, each carpel partitioned into 2 cells.
Fruit dry, separating into 4 nutlets.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Verbena bracteata in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WA Flora Checklist: Verbena bracteata checklist entry.
OregonFlora: Verbena bracteata information.
E-Flora BC: Verbena bracteata atlas page.
CalPhotos: Verbena bracteata photos.
USDA Plants: Verbena bracteata information.