[Illustration: LARGE-FLOWERED VERVAIN SLENDER VERVAIN]
Branches often 4-angled; leaves opposite; flowers often whorled; calyx
5-lobed; petals 4-5, united; calyx and corolla often 2-lipped; stamens
4, on corolla-tube; ovary often 4-celled.
Slender Vervain (_Verbena halei_) was, until a few years ago, considered
the same as the European vervain (_Verbena officinalis_), but it is now
recognized as a different plant. Misty-looking purple patches on the
roadside ahead usually turn out to be masses of the slender vervain. It
is a perennial which takes on renewed blooming activity from early
spring until fall, but usually only scattered plants bloom after June.
It is very abundant in this state and other Southern States.
The flowers are small and scattered along the slender branches at the
top of the stem. The upper leaves are narrow, those of the mid-stem
divided; and the lower are broad and irregularly toothed.
Large-Flowered Vervain (_Verbena plicata_) shows some variation in color
from white to lavender, the flowers commonly being a bluish-lavender.
The flowers are about half an inch broad and grow in long showy spikes.
The plants are perennial, and numerous stems form erect clumps 1-2 ft.
high. It is especially handsome southwest of San Antonio and ranges into
Mexico. It blooms from February to May.
[Illustration: PLAINS VERBENA]
Wild or Plains Verbena (_Verbena bipinnatifida_) is sometimes called
sweet William, a name which properly belongs to the blue woodland phlox
(_Phlox divaricata_) or to the clove pink. There is only a faint
fragrance to the wild verbena.
Along highways and in the fields the wild verbena blooms in great
profusion from spring until the plants are killed by a severe freeze.
The flower stalks often grow quite long and are topped by a flat cluster
of flowers around the new buds. The old calyx tubes surrounding the
small nutlets remain on the stalk for many weeks. Children delight in
pulling off the purple tubular corollas so that they can suck the
abundant nectar from the tube and then string them together for a
necklace, which they make by inserting the base of one tube into the
throat of the adjoining corolla.
The wild verbena is a perennial plant with many prostrate branches. The
leaves are thick, rough, and divided into narrow segments. It is one of
the most familiar plants of the South Plains region, ranging from
Missouri and Arizona to Northern Mexico. It is seldom used in gardens,
but it is one of the plants used by the highway department for roadside
planting. Where it has been used in gardens for low border mass effects,
it has been a delight throughout the warm months with its showy, profuse
blooms.
“Verbena” is the Latin name for a sacred plant. There are nearly one
hundred species of verbenas, one of which is European and the others
American. About twenty-five of these are found in Texas, part of them
belonging to the vervain group. The plains verbena and the slender
vervain are the ones most widely distributed. Among other very lovely
verbenas found in the state are Wright’s verbena in West Texas and
Lambert’s verbena in East Texas. A South American verbena (_Verbena
venosa_), with brilliant purple flowers, has escaped cultivation in
Southeast Texas.
Wright’s Verbena (_Verbena wrightii_) is quite similar to the plains
verbena but has larger flowers of a reddish-purple color. The plants are
larger, and the foliage is coarser.
Lambert’s Verbena (_Verbena canadensis_) has ovate leaves which are
toothed or lobed but not divided. The flowers are a reddish-purple and
have a white eye surrounded by a line of black. This is a handsome
verbena which does well in cultivation but is little used. Garden
hybrids have been reported from it. The origin of the common garden
verbena is not definitely known.
[Illustration: FRENCH MULBERRY]
French Mulberry (_Callicarpa americana_) is a low shrub 3-6 ft. high,
also known as the Bermuda mulberry or sour-bush. It is easily recognized
in the fall by the clusters of reddish-purple berries and large ovate
leaves 3-6 in. long. The showy berries are responsible for the
scientific name which means “beautiful fruit.” It grows in woods of
sandy areas from Central Texas to Florida and Virginia, and also in the
West Indies. The variety with white fruit is not so common as the
purple-fruited variety. The flowers are inconspicuous, pale pink or
white. The shrub is well-known in cultivation but is not so hardy as the
Japanese callicarpa.
The verbena family includes many tropical and sub-tropical shrubs, some
of which are widely cultivated in Texas. Lantana (_Lantana camara_) has
orange and yellow flowers and is a profuse summer bloomer. The common
lilac lantana in cultivation was introduced from Brazil, but there are
two native lilac lantanas in Southern Texas. Lavender, or vitex,
introduced from Europe, is an excellent shrub for summer bloom.