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Gulf Vervain

Verbena xutha

Other common name(s):

Family:

Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

4
to
6
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Semi Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Blue, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals, Nectar Insects

Maintenance

Forms colonies by spreading rhizomes and self-seeding. Can be short-lived. Works well in naturalized and rain gardens. Needs supplemental was in summer. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms March-October. Blue flowers grow from tall slender spikes arising from an evergreen basal rosette and opening from bottom to top. Lobed leaves are pubescent with toothed margins. Native Habitat: Dry mostly sandy soil of beaches, fields, roadsides and blackland prairies. Attracts: birds and small mammals eat seeds, nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEXU, 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=32081#null, 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=23886&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 4) https://warcapps.usgs.gov/PlantID/Species/Details/1279, 5) http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/vrb/verbena_xutha.htm, 6) http://www.texaswildbuds.com/verbena-xutha.html, 7) https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z370

Get in Touch

Contact the State

Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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