Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Cressler, Alan

Glandularia canadensis

Glandularia canadensis (L.) Nutt.

Rose Vervain, Sweet William, Rose Mock Vervain

Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)

Synonym(s): Glandularia drummondii, Glandularia lambertii, Verbena canadensis, Verbena canadensis var. atroviolacea, Verbena canadensis var. compacta, Verbena canadensis var. drummondii, Verbena canadensis var. grandiflora, Verbena canadensis var. lambertii, Verbena lambertii, Verbena ×oklahomensis

USDA Symbol: glca2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Rose Vervain is a creeping annual or perennial, rooting at the nodes to form large, dense mats 5-10 in. high. Clusters of fragrant, rose-pink, five-petaled, tubular flowers occur at branch tips. The leaves may be hairy and are deeply toothed. This showy vervain is especially good for rock gardens; although it is a southern species, it is tolerant of northern climates. The somewhat similar Purple Prairie Verbena (G. bipinnatifida) has a bristly-hairy stem and finely divided leaves with stiff hairs; it occurs in fields and along sandy roadsides in Quebec and from South Dakota and Wisconsin south to Florida and Texas. Stiff Vervain (Verbena rigida), with toothed, lanceolate leaves and a more elongated flower cluster, occurs from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma.

This species is a member of the verbena family (family Verbenaceae), which includes about 75 genera and 3,000 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly of tropical and warm temperate regions. Among them, teak is a highly prized furniture wood, and Vervain, Lantana, Lippia or Frog Fruit, and Chaste Tree or Vitex are grown as ornamentals.

From the Image Gallery

11 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Fruit Type: Schizocarp
Size Notes: Up to 10 inches high.
Flower: Flowers in 2 inch clusters.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: Rosy pink in color.

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CO , CT , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NM , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV
Native Distribution: Illinois south to central Texas, west to Colorado, east to Virginia and Florida
Native Habitat: Prairies, plains, meadows, savannas, woodland edges, forest openings, lightly shaded woods, pastures

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
Soil Description: Poor, acidic, sandy or rocky, moist but well-drained soils
Conditions Comments: North of the Red River where winters are harsh, behaves as an annual. South of there, a perennial. During droughts, can lose leaves.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Aromatic groundcover well-behaved enough to be used in flower beds. Also good for landscape restoration.
Use Wildlife: Attracts butterflies, rabbits, and deer.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Fragrant Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: No

Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Division , Seeds , Softwood Cuttings
Description: Seed sown in spring or fall, cuttings, and root division are methods of propagation.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Water during dry summers to prevent leaf loss. Mulch in winter to prevent freezing to death.

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0348 Collected May 28, 1987 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Bibliography

Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Glandularia canadensis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Glandularia canadensis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Glandularia canadensis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-05-25
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back