If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Verbena litoralis

Kunth

Verbenaceae

+ Synonyms

Verbena affinis M.Martens & Galeotti

Verbena bonariensis litoralis (Kunth) Hook. ex Müll.Berol.

Verbena brasiliensis subglabrata Moldenke

Verbena caracasana Kunth

Verbena carolina glabra Moldenke

Verbena gentryi Moldenke

Verbena glabrata tenuispicata Moldenke

Verbena integrifolia Sessé & Moc.

Verbena lanceolata Willd. ex Spreng.

Verbena longifolia M.Martens & Galeotti

Verbena minutiflora peruviana Moldenke

Verbena nudiflora Nutt. ex Turcz.

Verbena paucifolia Turcz.

Verbena sedula Moldenke

Common Name:

Verbena litoralis
Close-up of the flowering stem
Photograph by: John Tann
Creative Commons License
Verbena litoralis Verbena litoralis Verbena litoralis Verbena litoralis

General Information

Verbena litoralis is an erect or ascending annual to short-lived perennial plant with few to many-branched stems that grow 30 - 200cm tall, sometimes becoming woody towards the base[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
,
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is grown for medicinal use in home gardens in Ecuador[
521
Title
Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador.
Publication
Fieldiana Botany New Series No. 15
Author
Vickers W.T.; Plowman T.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History; USA.
Year
1984
ISBN
0015 - 0746
Description
Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/

Range

S. America - Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela; C. America - Panama to Mexico.

Habitat

Wet or dry thickets, meadows, rocky slopes, often a weed in cultivated ground, sometimes in pine-oak forest; at elevations from 85 - 3,000 metres[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitAnnual/Perennial
Height1.00 m
PollinatorsBees, Insects
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Verbena litoralis is a plant of dry climates, growing in areas where the mean annual rainfall can be within the range 100 - 800mm, with a dry season of up to 10 months[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
]. It is intolerant of snow, but in dry climates can tolerate occasional short-lived freezing spells with temperatures falling to around -5°c[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].
Prefers a sunny position and a dry, arid area[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
]. Plants can withstand long periods of drought[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].
The plant has become an invasive weed in many tropical and subtropical areas. It displaces forages in pastures and native species in disturbed forest sites[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
]. Although the species has spread to other countries from its native environment, and is sometimes regarded as an invasive threat (in Australia and some states of the USA), it often seems to be restricted to disturbed habitats like roadsides, stream banks, tracks and waste places. Information on its effects on other plant species is not well reported, nor is there any evidence to suggest it has any serious impacts on specific environments or ecosystems[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant has been used as a remedy for various fevers, as well as influenza and small-pox[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. The plant is crushed and boiled in water and then the decoction is taken orally. Said to have a bitter taste and a purgative effect[
521
Title
Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador.
Publication
Fieldiana Botany New Series No. 15
Author
Vickers W.T.; Plowman T.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History; USA.
Year
1984
ISBN
0015 - 0746
Description
Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Verbena+litoralis>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.