Purple Verbena Flowers is an annual herbaceous perennial with purple flowers. It is typically grown for its medicinal and culinary properties, as it is best known for its fragrance.
The leaves have a purple-tinged, waxy appearance and vary in size, depending on the age of the plant. Some newer leaves are speckled with purple or green coloration, while many older leaves on the same plant may be completely white. The flowers have a light fragrance that is typically described as sweetly fruity or honey-like in scent.
The flowers may be violet, purple blue, or bluish purple depending on the variety. The flowers are borne singly or in groups at the end of thick stems (i.e., racemes). Each flower is composed of five petals that have a smooth surface on the outside but have a hairy, slightly sticky texture when you touch them. Inside each flower is a four-parted yellow or white stamen with never any longer than 3 mm.
What is Purple Verbena Flowers
Purple Verbena Flowers is a perennial flowering plant of the verbena family (Verbenaceae). A native of South America, Purple Verbena Flowers is now grown mostly for its pleasant scent and attractive violet flowers. It is cultivated in the southeastern part of the United States for perfumery. The most popular variety of Purple Verbena Flowers is ‘Mojito’ which has a high content of citronellal and geraniol, present in many essential oils.
The leaves have a purple-tinged, waxy appearance and vary in size, depending on the age of the plant. Some newer leaves are speckled with purple or green coloration, while many older leaves on the same plant may be completely white.
The flowers have a light fragrance that is typically described as sweetly fruity or honey-like in scent. The flowers may be violet, purple blue, or bluish purple depending on the variety.
Is Purple Verbena Flowers poisonous?
Purple Verbena Flowers has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb for many different ailments.
As with all herbs, consult a medical professional before consuming Purple Verbena Flowers in large amounts.
Muddle three fresh leaves of Purple Verbena Flowers in one cup (237 ml) of boiling water and steep for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a small pot through cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove the leaves and make sure you squeeze out all of the saponins from the leaves.
Ladies, you can use this tea to help prevent hair loss and dandruff.
Purple Verbena Flowers is effective in stopping bleeding and treating gastrointestinal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Purple Verbena Flowers has also been used to promote healing in skin diseases such as acne.
The herb is known to reduce fever, treat insect bites and prevent infection of the skin. It has also been used in the treatment of heart disease.
How To Take Care Of Purple Verbena Flowers ?
- If the plant is growing outdoors in your garden, you can remove dead blossoms, leaves and stems that fall to the ground. It is best to harvest leaves in late summer or early fall because they lose their fragrance when the weather changes.
- Separate from other plants in the garden by surrounding it with a 6- foot (1.8 m) fence or trellis.
- Pruning Purple Verbena Flowers may be necessary if you want to keep it as an attractive ornamental plant or for flowering purposes.
- Purple Verbena Flowers can be grown indoors in a greenhouse or other sunny, brightly lit places.
- Make sure your Purple Verbena Flowers gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily but no more than 9 hours per day for the best blooms and optimal growth.
- Once you harvest the leaves and stems, you can dry them, but do not dry them in a dehydrator because they will lose their fragrance in this way. Leave the leaves and stems out at room temperature where they can dry naturally.
- During the drying process, shake or toss your leaves and stems every day so they dry evenly. Once the leaves and stems are completely dry, store them in an airtight jar that is kept in a cool place.
How to grow Purple Verbena Flowers
- Purple Verbena grows best in full to partial shade, but will be damaged by frost. It can be grown in light shade, but its leaf color may not be as deep. Light shade is especially important for indoor plants.
- These Flowers prefers well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 7.0, but can tolerate soil that is more alkaline—or less acidic—with little or no ill effect (but see “sulfur”).
- Deep container growing is also encouraged for Purple Verbena Flowers—it needs plenty of space to develop.
- To grow best, Purple Verbena requires an integrated approach, in which there is no set season or stage at which a plant might be said to be “finished”; it requires continuing care throughout the summer and fall months.
- Purple Verbena should not be planted in the same location every year because this will deplete the nutrients from the soil.
- If you need to transplant Purple Verbena Flowers, do it in the spring or fall, but not during the growing season.
- Purple Verbena Flowers is not frost-hardy, and will die back if temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). It may reemerge after several years, but it may be more vigorous in the beginning, and then it will need to be pinched back to keep it from growing too tall.