Verbena urticifolia
| Verbena urticifolia | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Verbena urticifolia (common name: white vervain)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse or cold frame[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Basal cuttings in early summer. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained but moisture retentive soil in a sunny position[1][2].
Hardy to about -15°c[2].
Range: Eastern N. America - Quebec and Ontario to North Dakota, south to Florida and Texas.
Habitat: Woodlands, pastures, along streams, roadsides and waste areas[3].
Medicinal: A decoction of the root is given to babies to break out the hives[4]. The sweetened root decoction is drunk as an aid for flu[4]. An infusion of the root has been used in the treatment of profuse menstruation[5].
The root has been eaten to revive a patient and restore them to health[5].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ McGregor, Ronald. Flora of the Great Plains. University Press of Kansas, 1986.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.