Bracted vervain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bracted vervain |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Verbena
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| Species: |
bracteata
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Verbena bracteata is a wild plant often called bracted vervain, bigbract verbena, prostrate vervain, or carpet vervain. It's a type of verbena plant. You can find it growing naturally across most of North America. It grows almost everywhere except for the very northern parts of Canada and the southern parts of Mexico. This plant often pops up in places where the ground has been disturbed, like roadsides or fields.
About Bracted Vervain
Bracted vervain is a plant that usually lives for one or two years. It's known as an annual (lives one year) or biennial (lives two years) herb. This plant grows low to the ground, forming a kind of mat. Its stems can spread out up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) long.
What It Looks Like
The stems and leaves of the bracted vervain are covered in tiny hairs. Its leaves have jagged edges or are deeply cut into lobes. The plant produces a tall spike of flowers. This flower spike is packed with long, pointed, leaf-like parts called bracts. Each bract can be up to 8 millimeters (about a third of an inch) long.
Its Flowers
Each small flower on the spike is shaped like a tube. It's about half a centimeter (a fifth of an inch) wide. The flowers can be white or a very light purple color. You can usually see these flowers blooming from May through October.
Where It Grows
This plant is very common across North America. It grows in many different kinds of places. You'll often find it in areas where the soil has been moved or changed. This includes places like empty lots, along roadsides, or in fields.
