Perennial herb

Stem: erect, nearly hairless to sparsely hairy.

Leaves: opposite, stalked (at least 5 mm long), more than 2 cm wide, egg-shaped, toothed, nearly hairless or sparsely hairy.

Inflorescence: a cluster of more than three spikes, each spike dense and less than 7 mm across.

Flowers: bluish purple, well separated along the spike, with bracts shorter than the calyx.

Fruit: four nutlets surrounded by the persistent calyx.

Similar species: Verbena x engelmanii is a hybrid of Verbena hastata and Verbena urticifolia. The attributes of the hybrid are intermediate of the parents. See links below for further information on the parents.

Flowering: July to September

Habitat and ecology: Rare in woods, fields, thickets, and rocky estuaries.

Occurence in the Chicago region: native

Etymology: Verbena is the Latin name for vervain. Engelmannii was named after George Engelmann, 19th century German-American physician and botanist.

Author: The Morton Arboretum