Verbena menthifolia

Mint leafed vervain

Family: Verbenaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mint leafed vervain is a California native perennial found in southern coastal, Peninsular, and desert regions of southern California in open, dry scrub habitats at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small purple flowers in slender spikes that elongate to 6 to 30 centimeters during fruiting. Growing 30 to 75 centimeters tall with 1 to 3 ascending stems that are sparsely covered in stiff hairs, it forms a clumping habit in dry landscapes. Its leaves are distinctive, being ovate and 2 to 4 centimeters long, with deep lobes near the base and coarse serrated edges. The plant has compact purple flowers approximately 2 to 3 millimeters long, nestled among sparsely hairy, tapered leaves.

Habitat: Open, generally dry places, scrub

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: SCo, PR, DSon

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