Tall Verbena II

 Note from the Author: Unlike the others in this redo series, I barely at best covered this plant on the blog.

 

 

Up close and in fine detail.

Note the opposite arrangement of leaves and the toothy leaf margins.

These plants are mostly stem by volume once they get big enough to bloom.

 

 

Common Name: Tall Verbena

 

Other Common Names: Purpletop Vervain, Argentinian Vervain, Brazilian Verbena, Brazilian Vervain, Clustertop Verbena, Tall Vervain, Purple Top.

 

Botanical Family: Verbenaceae (The Verbena Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Verbena bonariensis

 

Description & Habitat: Tall Verbena is native to South America but has become naturalized in North America. You can find this plant along the roadside most commonly but it does appear in sites with disturbed soil. Tall Verbena is perhaps one of the most aptly named plants because it’s chief features are that it can grow up to five feet tall in a growing season and atop that growth are intense purple flower clusters that can draw the eye even when driving by at fifty miles per hour. Its leaves are borne in opposite arrangement, clasp the stem and are roughly elliptical in shape with an irregular toothed margin. Inter-nodes between the leaves are often fairly long which facilitates this plant’s ability to grow through bushes and shrubs to get to light. It should be noted that despite not being in the mint family Tall Verbena has square stems and has opposite arrangement leaves.

 

When & What to Harvest: No credible sources indicate that this plant is in any way edible and some indicate that it may be toxic to live stock.

 

Edible Related Plants: Common Vervain (Verbena officinalis), Pineapple Verbena (Nashia inaguensis) and Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora) are the known to be safely medicinal, or food plants in the family.

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None are known.

 

Recipe: There is no recipe for this plant as it is noted to be inedible.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/verbena-bonariensis/

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://www.burpee.com/verbena-bonariensis-prod001064.html

 

Plants:

https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/78320-product.html

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Spring Plants:

Chicory, Italian

Ground Cherries, Perennial

Okra, Baby Bubba

Okra, Iraqi Bamia

Pepper, Ghost

Pepper, Bulls Horn

Pepper, Serrano

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

Swiss Chard, Red

Tomato, Cherokee Purple

Tomato, Chocolate Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Lemon Boy

Tomato, Sungold

 

Ornamental & Flowers:

Castor Bean, Giant

Poppy, California

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

 

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Canna Lily ‘ Durban’

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is May 3^rd at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.