Common Name: prairie verbena
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Verbenaceae
Native Range: Southern North America
Zone: 5 to 8
Height: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to June
Bloom Description: pink to lilac-purple
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Drought, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, very well-draining soil in full sun. Tolerant of heat and drought. Hardy in Zones 5-8. Propagate
Noteworthy Characteristics
Glandularia bipinnatifida, commonly called prairie verbena or Dakota mock vervain, is a low-growing, sort-lived, herbaceous perennial native to the Great Plains of the central United States, the Blackland Prairies of the southeastern United States, and central Mexico where it is found on prairies, pastures, limestone or gypsum hillsides, ridges, bluffs, glades, woodland openings, and roadsides. Mature plants will reach 0.5-1' tall and spread to fill a 1-3' area with a spreading, prostrate growth habit. The fuzzy, stout stems are well-branched at the base and clad with similarly fuzzy, deeply dissected and incised leaves. The leaves have single or double-order pinnate lobes and will reach 1-2.5" with an equal width. Terminal, dense clusters of small, pink to lilac-purple flowers bloom on 3-7" tall spikes from spring into summer, with sporadic reblooming into fall. The blooms are attractive to butterflies and other insect pollinators. Synonymous with Verbena bipinnatifida.
Genus name from Latin means acorn in probably reference to the shape of the seedpod.
The specific epithet bipinnatifida refers to the twice pinnately dissected leaves of this species.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note. Tends to be short-lived in the landscape.
Uses
Group or mass for a small-scale ground cover in rock gardens, prairie gardens, butterfly garden, or on slopes. Allow to naturalize in any sunny, very well-draining garden situation. Suitable for containers.