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Purple Verbena

Verbena rigida (ver-BEE-nah RIJ-ih-dah)

Family: Verbenaceae Unknown Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Slender Vervain is a perennial that spreads by rhizomes and is native to South America. Is an annual north of zone 7 but needs winter protection in that zone. It has naturalized from southeastern North Carolina to Florida and is very tolerant of heat and drought. Plant in well-drained soils in full sun as it is a good choice for a sunny, hot perennial border or a container. It will not tolerate wet winter poorly drained soils.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 47 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Mounding; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2 to 4 in. leaves that are rough to the touch with coarsely toothed margins
Flower color
Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower detail
2 to 3 in. clusters of purple to lilac flowers that bloom summer to fall on stiffly erect spikes
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems root at the nodes
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
South America
Wildlife value
Very attractive to butterflies. This plant is occasionally damaged by deer.
Attracts
Butterflies; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Container
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#heat tolerant #purple #deciduous #fall interest #deer resistant #drought tolerant #groundcover #bird friendly #butterfly friendly #summer flowers #rabbit resistant #nectar plant #pollinator plant #full sun tolerant #bee friendly #container plant #perennial #wildlife friendly #HS303 #th-touch
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Heat
Propagation
Root Cutting; Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.