Plant · P-740

Vervain

Verbena officinalis

Vervain is an herbaceous perennial of waste ground and roadsides across Europe western Asia and the Himalayas naturalized on several other continents growing about two feet tall with slender branching spikes of tiny pale lilac flowers through summer. It needs full sun and cannot grow in shade preferring well-drained soil that still holds some moisture from sandy to heavy clay and avoiding acid ground. The leaves and flowering tops have a long tradition of use as a calming tonic for headaches nervous exhaustion and low mood and the plant self-sows freely once established.