Verbena gooddingii

Southwestern mock vervain

Family: Verbenaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Southwestern mock vervain is a California native perennial found in eastern Mojave Desert and northeastern Sonoran Desert regions in sandy soils, washes, and rocky slopes at elevations of 1,200 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces purple-blue flowers in dense spikes up to 15 centimeters in diameter. Growing with multiple stems 10 to 45 centimeters tall, the plant can be decumbent to erect with soft, spreading hairs. Its leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long, lanceolate to ovate, with basal leaves 3 to 5-lobed and short soft hairs covering the surface. The plant's delicate purple-blue flowers and soft-textured leaves make it a distinctive feature of desert landscapes.

Habitat: Sandy soils, washes, rocky slopes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 1200-2000 m

Bioregions: e DMoj, ne DSon

California counties: San Bernardino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.