Narrow-leaf verbena

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Narrow-leaf verbena habit

Narrow-leaf verbena

Narrow-leaf verbena habit

Narrow-leaf verbena inflorescence

Narrow-leaf verbena leaves

Narrow-leaf verbena inflorescence

Narrow-leaf verbena

Narrow-leaf verbena

Morphology

Stem

Erect or ascending, 1 to several from base, sometimes branched above, sparsely covered with minute hairs.

Leaves

Opposite, narrow, linear to narrowly lanceolate, oblong or spatulate, 1 to 4 inches long, to 3/5 inch wide, nearly glabrous to minutely hairy, wrinkled above, veiny beneath; tips pointed; margins toothed, but often only near tip; tapering to short stalk or nearly sessile.

Inflorescence

Spike, slender, usually solitary, terminal on stem and branches; flowers and fruits typically dense; bracts small, equaling or slightly shorter than calyx.

Flower

Calyces 5-lobed, to 1/5 inch long, sparsely hairy; lobes tapering to points; corollas pale bluish, lavender, or rarely white, 1/6 to 1/4 inch wide, tube barely longer than calyx; lobes 5; stamens 4, in 2 groups.

Fruit

4 nutlets, linear, 1/10 inch long, olive to reddish-brown, each 1-seeded.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry, open waste areas, rocky prairie hillsides, and roadsides.

Distribution

Principally the east 1/3 of Kansas.

Additional Notes