Swamp Verbena
Verbena hastata
- Native to:
- Canada, United States
Cody Hough (en.wikipedia.org)
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Verbenaceae
- Genus:
- Verbena
- Species:
- Verbena hastata
- USDA Symbol:
- VEHA2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Biennial | Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 150 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun,Part Shade,Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Low
- Bloom Months:
- jun,jul,aug,sep
- Bloom Colors:
- blue, purple, violet
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), Southern plains bumble bee (Bombus fraternus), Tri-colored bumble (Bombus ternarius), Two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus), Zadontomerus Ashmead
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies, birds
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts from rootstock following fire; often increases in abundance in burned wet meadows and prairies.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- moist, fertile, well-drained loam
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers wet meadows and stream banks
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Light aids germination; surface sow or barely cover seeds. Cold stratification improves germination rates.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Mix the seeds with an equal amount of moist perlite or vermiculite. Put mixture into a sealed container and proceed with at least one month of cold moist stratification in a cool dry place. Cold store until planted (up to 3 years).
Establishment: Seed is very small and appears to ripen at individual rates along flower stalk. Seed is collected by hand from locally native plants within the eastern central Upper Peninsula. Flowers from June to September. Seed is four nutlets or mericarps harvested Sept. and Oct.
Source: npn.rngr.net
ORGHPS Germination Guide: Sow @ 4C for 3 weeks, then place @ 20C. Requires light / surface sow (fine seed).