Vervain Verbena officinalis

LATIN NAME: Verbena officinalis

COMMON NAME: Vervain

The vervain lifts its slender, candelabra heads over the toothed leaves, and the small, pale flowers open a few at a time along the stems. The upright, branching, perennial herb carries the lance-shaped, toothed, rough green leaves and the tall, slender, branching spikes of the small, pale-lilac or white, five-lobed flowers through the summer, one of the fine, quiet sights of the wild patch, drawing the bees and the small butterflies. The plant has a very long record in the old practice of the old lands, and it is a fine, historic presence of the wayside. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The vervain is a historic subject of the plant science, and the candelabra heads keep showing up in the work on the wayside herbs. The way the small, pale flowers open a few at a time along the slender, branching spikes has been examined closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the wayside herbs, the bee plants and the members of the verbena family. The toothed leaves and the upright habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the vervain is a regular subject of the work on the slender heads of the old world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The vervain is a fine, quiet herb of the wild patch and the wayside. The tall, slender, branching spikes of the small, pale-lilac or white, five-lobed flowers open through the summer, one of the fine, quiet sights of the wild patch, drawing the bees and the small butterflies, and the plant has a very long record in the old practice of the old lands. It is one of the fine choices for the wild patch, the bee border and the study collection, and it has been written about in the botanical and the herbal papers for the candelabra heads and the long record of use. It is a fine, quiet herb of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.

Give the young plants the open, sunny spot, and the heads will rise in the first summer.

To grow the vervain from seed, sow the small, brown seeds over the surface and press them into the soil of the pot, keep the pot in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings show themselves within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the well-drained ground, the candelabra heads will rise through the summer.

Aphrodisiac, sedative nightcap. Also used in Chinese medicine.