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Verbena officinalis L.

Overview
General Information
ID Info
Similar Species
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Aperçu
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Family :

Famille :

Verbenaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Common verbena

(English) (USDA-ARS 2023)
Common vervain (English) (USDA-ARS 2023)
European vervain (English) (AOSA 2019)
Verveine officinale (French) (USDA-ARS 2023)

Verbena officinalis nutlets

  • Verbena officinalis nutlets

  • Verbena officinalis nutlet

  • Verbena officinalis nutlet

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Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

    Regulation Notes:

    Distribution :

    Répartition :

    Native to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Australia; introduced to United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Brazil, Bolivia, and central Chile (POWO 2023).

    Habitat and Crop Association :

    Habitat et Cultures Associées :

    Verbena officinalis grows in open areas, pastures, meadows, gardens, waste grounds, disturbed areas, and ballast dumping grounds. While it has preferences towards alkaline soils, it tolerates a wide range of soils if they are moderately fertile, and moist with good drainage. Once established, it can survive despite vigorous competition and densely populated surroundings. Mature plants can withstand strong, damaging winds. V. officinalis will not tolerate shade, or highly salty environments. Although sometimes found as a weed in cultivated fields, there is no reported impact on crop yields (CABI 2023).

    Economic Use, cultivation area, and Weed Association :

    Utilisation économique, zone de culture et association de mauvaises herbes :

    Economic use:

    Commercial applications for Verbena officinalis include alternative medicine, food production, and use in the cosmetic industry (Kubica et. al 2020). It is used in traditional European medicine as a digestive aide, diuretic, and as a gargle for throat issues. In East Asia it is used as a topical treatment for wounds and arthritis (CABI 2023). In food production, it is used as an ingredient in flavoring beverages. Several cosmetic products containing Verbena offfinalis are available including soaps, body lotions, massage oils, shampoos, and body scrubs (Kubica et. al 2020).

    Cultivation area:

    Grown in herbal gardens in Europe, Northern Africa, and East Asia. Not commonly grown on a mass scale (CABI 2023).

     

    Duration of Life Cycle :

    Durée du cycle vital:

    Perennial

    Dispersal Unit Type :

    Type d’unité de dispersion :

    Nutlet

    General Information

    RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

    There has been a large body of scientific research which has proven this plant’s effectiveness as an antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, sedative, anticonvulsant, and anxiolytic agent (Kubica et. al 2020). Studies have also shown some evidence to suggest that essential oils derived from Verbena officinalis may suppress the proliferation of certain human tumor cells (De Martino et al. 2009).

    Verbena officinalis has been used since the fourth century as an herbal medicine. (CABI 2023) Historically, it has been utilized in rituals and in and religious ceremonies (PFAF 2020; PROTA 2020).

    There have been reports of toxic effects from consumption of common vervain. When large doses have been consumed medicinally, it has been known to cause paralysis of the nervous system as well as convulsions (CABI 2023).

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    Identification

    Identification

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    • Nutlet

      Size

      • Measurement from literature:
        • 1.5-2.0 (L) X 0.6-0.8 mm (W) (POWO 2023)

      Shape

      • Nutlet shape is oblong-secortoid

      Surface Texture

      • Nutlets of this species have 3 sides with two distinctly different surfaces and are blunt on both the top (point of attachment) and bottom end.
      • Nutlets outer (dorsal) side is convex and decorated with 4 to 5 parallel linear ridges that transition into a broadly netted pattern approximately ½ to 1/3 from the top of the nutlet. Under high magnification you may see faint reticulations between the ridges and netting.
      • Nutlets have two inner (ventral) sides are covered in papillate tubercles that in some instances are raised to the point where they exhibit a bubbled appearance. The height which the tubercles extend from the surfaces of the nutlet varies across these surfaces. These two sides almost appear as one broadly convex surface. They intersect in the middle of the nutletn where there is a slight ridge. This ridge is hard to see since it is covered in tubercles, but it usually protrudes at both ends of the nutlet as a thin, raised seam.

      Colour

      • Nutlet outer side is light reddish to orangish brown.
      • The base colour of the inner sides of nutlet are light reddish to orangish brown but overall, these sides appear whitish from the large amount of white tubercles which are dotted over the entire surface of these sides.

      Other Features

      • The inner side of the nutlet is separated from the outer sides by a thick, raised, straw coloured margin.
      • The point of attachment is slightly angled in towards the inner side of the nutlet. A remnant of the style remains attached here. It appears as a round white piece of tissue.
      • Each flower (calyx) produces 4 nutlets which fit neatly together like the segments of an orange. These 4 nutlets usually separate from each other and disperse once ripe. However, following dispersal some nutlets may remain adhered together. Sometimes the pubescent calyx still surrounds the nutlets after dispersal.

      Verbena officinalis nutlets

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    Identification Tips

    CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

    The shape and density of tubercles on the inner sides of the nutlet are unique to this species. One important feature (although not always visible) is the presence of bubbled protrusions extending from the tubercles.

    The nutlets of most of the species within this genus look quite similar. Key features to distinguish members of this genera can include:

    – The pattern of the ridges on the outer side. For example, how far the ridges extend as parallel lines before there is a cross-hatching of these lines to form a netted pattern.
    – The width, height, and density of tubercles on the inner sides.
    – The shape of the seam which separates the outer from the inner sides of the nutlet.
    – The overall size of the nutlet.

    Verbena officinalis nutlet

    Additional Botany Information

    AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

    Flowers/Inflorescence

    • Flowers are on terminal spikes with small, pink, or purple five-lobed flowers, arranged in a spear like panicle (CABI 2023).

    Vegetative Features

    • Plants grow in an erect form and reach a height of 25 to 100 cm (CABI 2023)
    • The leaves are oblong to oblong-lanceolate with deep serration (CABI 2023)

    Similar Species

    ESPÈCES SEMBLABLES

    Similar species are based on a study of seed morphology of various species, and those with similar dispersal units are identified. The study is limited by physical specimen and literature availability at the time of examination, and possibly impacted by the subjectivity of the authors based on their knowledge and experience. Providing similar species information for seed identification is to make users aware of similarities that could possibly result in misidentification.

    Verbena simplex Lehm. (narrow-leaf vervain) (USDA-ARS 2023)

    Verbena simplex has the same overall shape and a very similar colour to Verbena officinalis. However, Verbena simplex nutlets are much larger than those of Verbena officinalis. The tubercles on the inner surfaces, are sparser with more interspaces. These tubercles protrude very little from the surface of the nutlet and appear quite uniform in height when compared to the tubercles on Verbena officinalis. There is a flattened ridge along the outer side of the seed near the point of attachment.

    Verbena bracteata Lag. & Rodr. (bracted vervain) (Darbyshire)

    The outer side of Verbena bracteata looks quite like Verbena officinalis. It has a similar reddish brown colour and the depth and pattern of the netting and ridges are similar. Verbena bracteata is larger and the netting extends across a larger portion of the seed when compared to Verbena officinalis. Up to approximately ½ of the outer surface is netted. The two inner sides meet at a broad angle/curve. This angle is so broad that the nutlet could be viewed as having only two surfaces (one inner, one outer), rather than three sides. The tubercles only protrude slightly from the surface of the inner side(s). Tubercles are aligned along the vertical axis and the amount of these tubercles fluctuates from one nutlet to the next.

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    Reference(s)

    Référence(s)

    Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). 2019. AOSA Rules For Testing Seeds. Volume 3: Uniform Classification of Weed and Crop Seeds. AOSA, Washington, DC.

    Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI). 2023. Invasive Species Compendium, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.56184 Accessed November 29, 2023.

    De Martino, L., D’Arena, G., Minervini, M. M., Deaglio, S., Fusco, B. M., Cascavilla, N., and De Feo, V. 2009. Verbena officinalis essential oil and its component citral as apoptotic-inducing agent in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology 22(4): 1097-1104.

    Khan, A. W., Khan, A-u., and Ahmed, T. 2016. Anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and sedative activities of Verbena officinalis. Frontiers in Pharmacology 7: 499-499.

    Kubica P, Szopa A, Dominiak J, Luczkiewicz M, Ekiert H. Verbena officinalis (Common Vervain) – A Review on the Investigations of This Medicinally Important Plant Species. Planta Med. 2020 Nov;86(17):1241-1257. doi: 10.1055/a-1232-5758. Epub 2020 Sep 16. PMID: 32937665.

    Plants for a Future (PFAF). 2024. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Verbena+officinalis Accessed August 15, 2024

    Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2023. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew., https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330554-2 Accessed November 29, 2023

    Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA). 2023. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 4 U (PROTA4U) https://prota.prota4u.org/search.asp Accessed November 29, 2023.

    U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS). 2023. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=41164 Accessed November 29, 2023.

    Author(s)

    AUTEUR(S)

    Janessa Emerson, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

    Acknowledgement:
    To Cody Hamilton, former student of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, for assistance with the literature search and summary. To Taran Meyer of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for seed imaging.

    contactus@idseed.org

    Last updated
    on 2023-03-27

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