Wholesale Blue vervain

01.
Where in the World

habitat and range for blue vervain

Blue vervain is native to North America including the Great Plains regions.

02.
A Bit of Botany

a little botany about blue vervain

description
Blue vervain, a member of the Verbenaceae family, is a slender, but erect, herbaceous perennial plant that can reach a height of up to 5' tall, branching occasionally in the upper half.

The green or red stems are four-angled, sometimes with fine white hairs. The opposite leaves are up to 6" long and 1" across. They are lanceolate, conspicuously veined, and have short petioles. The margins are coarsely serrated with variably sized teeth.

The upper stems terminate in a panicle of flowering spikes. These erect spikes are up to 5" long, and densely crowded all around with numerous reddish blue or violet flowers. Each flower is a little less than ¼" across, and has 5 lobes flaring outward from a slender corolla tube. There is no scent.

Four nutlets are produced per flower—they are reddish brown, oblong, and triangular convex. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late summer, and lasts about 1 ½ months. The root system has fibrous roots and short rhizomes.

common names & nomenclature
The Dakota name for blue vervain translates as the word “medicine,” and the Omaha and Ponca name translates as “herb medicine.”

Also known as:
vervain, blue vervain, swamp verbena, wild hyssop, simpler's joy, american vervain, false vervain, traveler's joy, indian hyssop, purvain, herb of grace, herbe sacrée, herba veneris

03.
Cultivation & Harvesting

considerations for growing and harvesting blue vervain

Where does blue vervain grow?
climate
Blue vervain prefers full or partial sunlight and moist conditions, a good plant to locate near a small river or pond in a sunny location. Found in river bottom prairies, moist meadows near floodplain woodlands, soggy thickets, borders of rivers and ponds, marshes, ditches, fence rows, and pastures. This plant adapts readily to degraded wetlands and other disturbed areas.

soil
The soil should consist of a fertile loam or wet muck.

growing
Stratify seeds for 2 weeks then sow indoors. Germination in 14-21 days. Transplant the flowers by mid to late spring, spacing 12 inches apart.

harvesting
Leaves and flowers are harvested while the plant is in bloom.

preserving
Dry leaves and flowers completely, cut into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

04.
The Rest of the Story

additional information

Vervain holds a prominent place in ancient mythology and folklore. In Egyptian legend, the plant was said to have sprung from the tears of the goddess Isis as she mourned Osiris. Centuries later, vervain appeared in Christian tradition, where it became symbolically associated with sacred rituals and earned the name herb-of-the-cross.

Classical writers and physicians referenced vervain in their works, and it continued to appear in ceremonial and symbolic practices throughout the ancient world. The Romans carried vervain across Europe, where it became especially significant in pre-Christian Britain. Among the Druids, vervain was highly regarded and often associated with ritual use, contributing to its later nickname, enchanter’s herb.