Annual or perennial herb Stem: erect, densely hairy. Leaves: opposite, less than 2 cm wide, narrow elliptic to narrow egg-shaped, toothed, hairy beneath. Flowers: borne on a terminal spike, bluish violet, to 10 mm across, subtended by bracts that are shorter than the flowers. Fruit: four nutlets surrounded by the persistent calyx.

Similar species: Verbena x moechina is a hybrid of Verbena simplex and Verbena stricta. The attributes of the hybrid are intermediate of the parents. It has the habit, small flowers, slender spikes and narrow leaves of V. simplex, but the hairy lower leaf surface and densely hairy stems of V. stricta. See links below for further information on the parents.

Flowering: June to July

Habitat and ecology: Rare in dry areas such as pastures.

Occurence in the Chicago region: native

Etymology: Verbena is the Latin name for vervain.

Author: The Morton Arboretum

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

This is the name recently proposed for the commonly occurring natural hybrid between Verbena simplex and Verbena stricta. I have it from Daviess, Harrison, Marion, Orange, and Washington Counties.