Accession Count: 0
Common Name:
moss verbena
Family Name:
Verbenaceae
Botanical Name:
Verbena pulchella
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Moss verbena is a perennial, evergreen herb with a decumbent growing habit, sometimes establishing roots at the nodes coming in contact with the soil (1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11). This plant grows in a sprawling fashion, spreading up to 3-6 feet wide with an erect orientation of 8-12 inches high (1,4,5,10,12,14). This plant’s foliage and stems initially have a light pubescence but become glabrous with age (6,7). The leaves are simple with opposite positioning along the stem and are 1-3 inches long and 1 inch wide (1). The leaves are lobed and possess an entire leaf margin, with the deeply incised lamina displaying a lace-like appearance (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,14,15). Moss verbena has striking clusters of purple flowers, sometimes possessing a violet-blue appearance (1,3,4,5,6,11,12,13). The inflorescences are terminal spikes, typically comprised of 5-15 flowers held in clusters 2 inches in diameter (1,3,15). The peduncle of each inflorescence is about 1-1.5 inches long (10). Each flower is a 4-5 lobed tubular corolla less than 1 inch in length, with a 5-toothed calyx (1,6,7,8,9). The fruit is a dehiscent schizocarp, about 3.55mm in diameter (9). The seeds are wind dispersed (9).
Compound:
Ver pul
Geographic Origin:
South America
Ecozone Origin:
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
Moss verbena is native to South America, found in southern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay (1,2,3,4,5,10). It has become naturalized in both the south and southwest of the United States (1,5).
Cultivation Notes:
Moss verbena is a low maintenance, long-blooming, and prolific groundcover (11,12,13,14). Moss verbena prefers full sun to thrive, and it can tolerate partial shade although it may not flower as profusely (1,3,4,5,10,13,15). This plant is drought and heat resistant, as well as having low watering requirements (1,3,12,13,14,15). This plant prefers to dry out in between waterings, as overwatering may decrease flowering, and waterlogged soil can cause root rot (1,3,10,11,12,14). Moss verbena prefers well-draining and sandy soils (1,5,14) This plant tolerates poor soils and a neutral soil pH of 6.0-8.0 (1,5,14). Moss verbena can be propagated by seed, and by vegetative propagation of the stems (1,3,10). Moss verbena prefers to be in a cold hardiness range of USDA Zone 8b-11a (1,10,12). Moss Verbena is often grown as an annual outside of its range (1,2,4,5,10,13). This plant is susceptible to frost damage and may die-back in winter but will sprout back from seed the following year (10,12,14). This plant can possibly go dormant in extreme heat (11). This plant has the strongest bloom period in the spring, slowing in the summer from heat, and then resuming in the fall (1,2,3,11,12,13,15). Moss verbena’s medium growing speed, and function as a groundcover make it great for erosion control (1,3,5,13)
Ethnobotany:
Like many in the family Verbenaceae, Verbena pulchella is beloved for its lovely lacey leaves and colorful flowers (9,12). The sole ethnobotanical use of moss verbena is as an ornamental groundcover (1,3,4). This ground cover performs well with grasses and is a prolific bloomer, sweeping any site in a lush colorful carpet (1,10,11). For generations, moss verbena has been chosen for ornamental installment as it is an excellent pollinator attracter, being irresistible to bees and butterflies (1,11,12,13,14,15). This plant is extremely hardy, being very drought tolerant and adaptable to poor soils (1,4,9,11,12,14)
Height:
0 - 5 feet
Width:
0 - 5 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
Purple
Function:
Accent
Spread:
Spreading
Allergen:
Invasive:
Toxicity:
Hardy:
Tender
Water Use:
Low water Use
