Verbena lasiostachys Link var. lasiostachys
=V. prostrata
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Verbena lasiostachys Link var. lasiostachys=V. prostrata
Verbenaceae (Vervain Family)NativeWestern VerbenaVervain |
May Photo
Plant Characteristics:
Perennial, much branched and ultimately diffuse and +/- procumbent, the
stems 3-8 dm. long, villous; lvs. canescent,
oblong to broadly ovate, coarsely serrate to laciniately lobed, 2-6 cm.
long, the cuneate base narrowed into a short petiole; spikes 1-3, 5-20 cm. long
and lax after anthesis; calyx hairy, 5- ribbed, 5-toothed, 4-5 mm. long; corolla
mostly purple, the tube 4-5 mm. long, the limb 3-4 mm. wide; stamens 4 in 2
pairs, ovary 4- celled, the cells 1-ovuled; nutlets oblong-trigonous, striate
below, reticulate above on backs.
Habitat:
Dry to moist places, below 8000 ft.; many Plant Communities; n. L.
Calif.; to Ore. May-Sept.
Name:
Verbena, ancient Latin name of the common European Vervain.
(Munz, Flora So. Calif. 851).
Greek, lasios, hairy, woolly.
(Jaeger 137). Greek, stachys,
spike. (Jaeger 246). Possibly referring to the hairy calyces on the spikes of
flowers. (my comment).
General:
Uncommon in the study area with only a few colonies known.
These are in Big Canyon where the path crosses the creek just below
Jamboree Rd.; a second colony was noted in April 1992 near the top of the bluff
southerly of San Joaquin Hills Rd., an area outside my study boundaries.
In August 1994 two plants were noted on the bluff
between San Joaquin Hills Rd. and Newporter Canyon.
(my comments).
J. Pitton de Tournefort (1656-1708), the greatest continental botanist of
his century, believed Verbena was a corruption of Herbena, i.e., herba
bona, "the good plant," because it was "in use among the
heathens...in their religion and worship."
(Dale 197).
Lantana and Verbena of the garden belong to the family Verbenaceae,
as well as Teak and many other exotic plants of the tropics.
(Dale 197).
Verbena species have been widely used medicinally, serving as a
sedative, diaphoretic, diuretic, bitter tonic, antispasmodic, and mild
coagulant. It is one of our best
palliatives for the onset of a virus cold, particularly with upper respiratory
inflammation. It will promote sweating, relax and soothe, allay
feverishness, settle the stomach, and overall produce a feeling of relaxed well
being. Moore, Medicinal Plants
of the Desert and Canyon West 128).
A relic of ancient pagan times. Druids
used Vervain in a mixture to ward off the "evil eye."
In the Middle Ages, the herb was very popular in witches brews. "Trefoil, Vervain, St. John's Wort and Dill hinder
witches of their will." (Meyer
231). Dr.
O.P. Brown in The Complete Herbalist (1875):
"I found after close investigation and elaborate experiment that Verbena
hastata prepared in a certain way and compounded with other herbs and the
best whiskey has no equal for cure of fits, or falling sickness; also for
indigestion, dyspepsia and liver complaints of every degree.
A more valuable plant is not found within the whole range of Herbal
Pharmacopoeia." (Hutchens 45).
About 100 spp. chiefly in warmer parts of Am. (Munz, Flora
So. Calif. 851).
Munz, Flora So. Calif. lists var. abramsii,
while the 1993 Jepson Manual lists. var. scabrida and var.
lasiostachys and includes var. abramsii within var. lasiostachys.
Variety lasiostachys was confirmed in May 1994 as the local
variety. (my comments).
Text Ref:
Hickman, Ed. 1088; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 851; Roberts 41.
Photo Ref:
March-May 90 # 2,11,22,23; June 90 # 8A.
Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.
Computer Ref: Plant Data 400.
Have plant specimen.
Last edit 7/18/03.
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May Photo