Prairie Verbena – Verbena Family (Verbeaceae)
Verbena bipinnatifida Nutt.
Region: 1 through 10 (Ellis County is Region 4)
Size: 12 – 18 inches
Blooms: Jan. – Dec., Perennial
Usually no more than a foot high and often reclining, prairie verbena sometimes paints large areas of lavender, pink, bluish or purple. Plants are hairy, with square stems, trumpet-shaped with five flattened lobes, the tiny flowers are clustered into half-globes. Opposite, stalked leaves are divided twice into finely cut foliage that adds a lacy background to the rounded flower clusters. Prairie verbena quickly
covers barren areas, but is crowded out as other species invade. It is an important nectar plant for butterflies, blooming throughout the year. It often roots from reclining lower stem joints. Texas has thirty-six species of verbena, many essentially similar.
by Melinda Kocian, ECMG Emeritus