Mock Verbena

by Joshua Heston

Mock verbena is beautiful, though its classification is a bit confusing.

Closely resembling phlox, the plant is defined by taxonomists as a member of the vervain family (Verbenaceae) — and closely related to vervains.

Dozens of species within the Glandularia genus have been identified.

The Verbenaceae family is noted throughout history for its use as a medicinal.

Glandularia bipinnatifida (pictured on this page) is native to North America and quite common in the Ozarks..

Rose Vervain (Verbena canadensis)

Size: 1 to 2 feet tall; flowers 1/2 inch wide. What to look for: stems bushy, often sprawling; flowers blue to lavender (turning pink with age), in dense clusters at end of stems; leaves in pairs, deeply lobed, toothed. Habitat: dry prairies, fields, open woods, thickets, hillsides. In bloom: February through October.

— page 424, Wernett, Susan J., et al. North American Wildlife. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1986.

From The Herbal Compendium:

Vervain. Verbena hastata.

Herb: Tonic. Emetic. Expectorant. Sudoforic.

Root: Tonic. Emetic. Expectorant. Sudoforic.

Used in intermittent fevers, colds, obstructed menses, scrofula, gravel, and worms. “Frequently by roadsides and in low grounds, mostly throughout the U.S. and Can. July. Sept.”

—page 183, Shaker Medicinal Herbs: A Compendium of History, Lore and Uses by Amy Bess Miller

A word of safety: folk remedies on StateoftheOzarks are published for informational purposes only. These remedies are never intended to cure, treat or mitigate any disease or disease condition. For questions about disease or disease conditions, consult a qualified healthcare professional.