Bloomipedia
Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Hoary vervain

Verbena stricta

Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) is a flowering plant in the Verbenaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Hoary vervain is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

38states where USDA records it
8Bloomipedia state lists include it
15,487U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Quick look

Verbena stricta, also known as hoary verbena, hoary vervain, tall vervain, or woolly verbena, is a North American wildflower. It was first described by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in his work, Description des plantes nouvelles.

  • It belongs to the Verbenaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 38 states. USDA PLANTS
  • In Minnesota, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
  • In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 3,573 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #19 among the 152 flowers on our Minnesota list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,691 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #64 among the 180 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,510 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #48 among the 161 flowers on our Wisconsin list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,224 records)
Bloom time in the 8 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
MinnesotaNativeJune–August3,573
IllinoisNativeJune–August2,691
WisconsinNativeJune–August2,510
IowaNativeJune–August1,182
NebraskaNativefew records (43)1,058
KansasNativefew records (36)994
South DakotaNativefew records (41)967
North DakotaNativefew records (21)111

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
State rare plant lists
Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 5 of our 8 states.
See each state
Minnesota
Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Minnesota. Minn. R. 6134.0300
Illinois
Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. IL E&T checklist 2025
Wisconsin
Not listed Not on Wisconsin endangered and threatened species list (Wis. Admin. Code NR 27.03). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Wisconsin. NR 27.03
Iowa
Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S5, secure in Iowa. IAC 571-77.3
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
South Dakota
No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota
No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NV (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records hoary vervain in 38 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Minnesota counties with USDA records: Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Cottonwood, Dakota, Faribault, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Norman, Pipestone, Pope, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Scott, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Traverse, Wabasha, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Wright, Yellow Medicine.

Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, De Witt, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lawrence, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, Saline, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, Woodford.

Wisconsin counties with USDA records: Adams, Brown, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sawyer, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 862 counties across 35 states; the most are in Missouri (108), Illinois (100), Kansas (100).

Other Verbena on Bloomipedia (7): Blue vervain, White vervain, Texas vervain, Brazilian vervain, Bigbract verbena, Slender vervain, MacDougal verbena.

More from the Verbenaceae family (14 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Dakota mock vervain, Lantana, Rose vervain, Common lantana, Rattail, Southwestern mock vervain, Fiddlewood.

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Sources