A verve for vervain

You recently saw a large and dense colony of flowering prairie verbenas. The French word for verbena is verveine, which English has borrowed as vervain; I mention that because today’s picture shows a wildflower known as Texas vervain and slender vervain, Verbena halei. The species is quite common in central Texas, and the plant’s stalks really are slender. The overall effect makes me imagine a delicate floral candelabra, and in this case there’s the addition of several types of wildflowers in the background. Today’s picture is yet another of the many I took on our 294-mile wildflower tour south of Austin on March 31.

To see a state-clickable map of the places across the southern United States where this species grows, you can visit the USDA website.

© 2012 Steven Schwartzman