Page authors: David Giblin, Don Knoke
Verbena bracteata
carpet vervain
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.

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

Description:
General:

Taprooted annual or perennial with numerous prostrate or decumbent stems 1-6 dm. long.

Leaves:

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.

Flowers:

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.

Fruits:

Fruit dry, separating into 4 nutlets.

Accepted Name:
Verbena bracteata Lag. & Rodr.
Publication: Anales Ci. Nat. 4(12): 260-261. 1801.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Verbena bracteosa Michx.
Additional Resources:

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

36 photographs:
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