Blue Vervain

Notes:

Blue vervain is a native, perennial wildflower that grows from 2 to 5 feet tall. Its hairy, square stems can be green or red. The toothed, lance shaped leaves progress in pairs up the stem and are about 6 inches long by 1 inch wide. Purplish-blue flowers bloom in multiple, showy, elongated panicles (flowers arranged on a stem) and are up to 5 inches long. Each bloom is about 1/4 inch across and conspicuously lobed. Blue vervain blooms in mid to late summer; approximately 1 1/2 months after blooming each bloom gives way to four oblong, reddish-brown, triangular-convex “nutlets.” Blue vervain spreads through rhizomes, horizontal roots that produce new plants. Blue vervain prefers moist conditions and full to partial sun. It can grow in disturbed sites and is commonly found in moist meadows, thickets, and pastures, as well as riversides, marshes, ditches, and river-bottom prairies.