Hoary vervain, Hoary verbena

Verbena stricta Vent.

Family: Verbenaceae (verbena)

Hoary vervain, Hoary verbena

Peter Dziuk, Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

Hoary verbena flowers

  • Bloom Period:
    • Mid-Season,
  • Growth Cycle:
    • Annual,
    • Perennial,
  • Insect Type Attracted:
    • Natural Enemy,
    • Pollinator
  • Light:
    • Full,
    • Partial,
  • Region:
    • Northern Lower Peninsula,
  • Soil Moisture:
    • Dry,
    • Medium,
  • Height:
    • 2-3ft

Natural enemies attracted

Moderately attractive: Orius insidiousus and Chalcidoidea.

Mildly attractive: Empididae, Thomisidae, Plagiognathus politus, Chrysopidae and Nabidae.

Pollinators attracted

Mildly attractive: bees including digger bees, small carpenter bees, and bumble bees.

Pests attracted

Moderately attractive: Lygus bug and cabbbage white butterflies.

Plant notes

Small blue-to-purple flowers on short stalks opened, several at a time, from the bottom up. Plants established well and grew thickly, with a large floral display. This species bloomed from mid-July through August. Cabbage white butterflies (pests) were frequently seen at these flowers. This species was the eighth most attractive mid season plant to natural enemies, with slightly more natural enemies than the grass control.

Habitat

This plant grows in full sun to partial shade, and dry to moist locations; it is very drought tolerant. It naturally occurs in sandy fields and roadsides and along railroads.

Cultivation and management

This plant can be grown from seed (flowers in second or third year) or plug material (flowers in first or second year). We saw no evidence of deer or other vertebrate browsing on this species. A single plant is not very impressive, but in mass, gray-green foliage and attractive flowers make this a very striking plant.

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