Prostrate Vervain
Verbena bracteata
Prostrate vervain is a tough, ground-hugging pioneer that threads small blue-purple flowers across hot, disturbed, and compacted ground. Modest but a reliable long-season nectar source for small bees.
- Family
- Verbenaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- annual
- Height
- 0–1 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- May, June, July, August, September, October
- Bloom colors
- blue, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~11 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- border, groundcover, container, erosion control, naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY
Related native plants
More Verbena species
- Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
- Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta)
- Narrow-leaved Vervain (Verbena simplex)