VERBENA, a name anciently applied to any herb used in religious rites, but now restricted to a genus of plants typical of the family Ver bencerce. The species, of which about 110 have been described, are mostly annual and perennial herbs or shrubs distributed mainly in the Amer ican tropics but extending northward in the United States, where some weedy species are common in the 'gardens and other tilled land. They- are characterized by erect or trailing stems which usually bear opposite leaves and terminal spikes, sometimes panicles or corymbs of often showy flowers, for which some of the species have become widely popular as orna mental garden plants. The European verbena or vervain (V. officinalis) is an annual herb with slender paniculate spikes of small purplish flowers. It was formerly in high repute in medicine and was probably introduced into America for such purposes and cultivated by early settlers. It has become naturalized in some places along roadsides and waste places, but is not a troublesome weed. The showy garden verbenas are derived mainly if not wholly from South American species, the first of which were introduced into cultivation be tween 1826 and 1838. V. charucedryfolia, a bril
liant scarlet, V. phlogifiora, a rose or purple and V. incisa, another rose or purple, were the first introduced and V. teucrioides, a white-flowered species, appeared in gardens in 1838. These four species are the most important, since they are the chief progenitors of the garden ver benas, though two other species (V. canadensis and V. tenera) have apparently been employed by florists for hybridizing. Since the progeny of these hybrids rarely produce germinable seed, the species are believed to have had a very small influence upon the present garden forms. A Brazilian species (V. venosa) is a tuberous-rooted plant whose panicled, lilac, bluish-purple or sky-blue flowers are fragrant at night. Its tubers are stored over winter in cold climates. Verbenas thrive best in rather rich, deep, light, well-drained loam. If well exposed to the sun for at least part of the day and if the stems are pegged down so as to take root they should give a constant succession of bloom throughout the summer and until frost. Consult Bailey, (Standard Cyclopedia of Horti culture' (New York 1916).