Verbena lasiostachys
Encyclopedia
Verbena lasiostachys is a species of verbena
known by the common name western vervain. It is native to western North America from Oregon
to Baja California
, where it is widespread and occurs in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas, where it grows as a common weed
. This perennial herb produces one or more hairy, decumbent to erect stems up to 80 centimeters long. The hairy leaves are toothed or lobed and have short, winged petioles
. The inflorescence
is made up of one to three spikes of flowers which are dense at the tip and more open on the lower part. Each small tubular flower has a hairy calyx of sepal
s and a purple corolla no more than half a centimeter wide.
Verbena
Verbena , verbenas or vervains, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the New World from Canada south to southern Chile, but some are also native in the Old...
known by the common name western vervain. It is native to western North America from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it is widespread and occurs in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas, where it grows as a common weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
. This perennial herb produces one or more hairy, decumbent to erect stems up to 80 centimeters long. The hairy leaves are toothed or lobed and have short, winged petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of one to three spikes of flowers which are dense at the tip and more open on the lower part. Each small tubular flower has a hairy calyx of sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and a purple corolla no more than half a centimeter wide.