White Vervain

White Vervain
White Vervain. Verbena urticifolia.
Verbenaceae, the vervain family.

Description:
Plant: Erect, slender, hairy, squarish stem with paired leaves bears long, narrow, branching spikes of tiny white flowers.
Flowers: Tiny, white, tube-like, about 1/8" wide, with five flaring petals or lobes. Flowers on long, narrow, branching spikes. The spike blooms from base upwards, and usually only a few flowers are open at once.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, ovate, to 6", and coarsely toothed (serrate).
Fruit: Small, seed-like capsule.
Blooming: June-September.
Habitat: Wood margins, clearings, thickets.

Comments: The flower spikes are very narrow, almost like a string of tiny beads. It is sometimes considered a weed.

Where to find it: In wood margins near on the west side of the entrance road, and near the parking lot.