Japanese name: シュッコンバーベナ Scientific name:Verbena rigida
[Overview]
A perennial 15–50 cm tall.
It has underground rhizomes.
The whole plant is hairy.
The stem has four distinct ridges.
Leaves are simple, opposite and lanceolate.
The leaf margins have teeth.
The leaf bases slightly clasp the stem.
Branched spikes at the stem tips bear densely packed flowers.
The corolla is tubular, with 5 lobes at the tip, and reddish purple.
The fruit is a schizocarp.
[History]
Introduced in the Meiji period, it is now naturalized in various places.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It multiplies readily from self-sown seed.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
If the conditions suit it, it grows well even when left alone.
Rainfall is sufficient for watering.
Fertilizer is not particularly necessary.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
[Notes]
There is also the widely cultivated perennial verbena (Glandularia tenera), which is a source of confusion in names.
