Flower profile
Southwestern mock vervain
Glandularia gooddingii
Southwestern mock vervain is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in February–September.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona
Quick look
Verbena gooddingii, commonly known as southwestern mock vervain, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it occurs in sandy and rocky desert habitat.
- It belongs to the Verbenaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona. NatureServe
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–September. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,203 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #82 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
Southwestern mock vervain gift ideas
Handmade southwestern mock vervain gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Southwestern mock vervain art print
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Southwestern mock vervain greeting card
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Southwestern mock vervain mug
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Southwestern mock vervain earrings
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Southwestern mock vervain embroidery pattern
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Southwestern mock vervain sticker
When does it bloom?
In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in February–September.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Arizona
- Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: UT (S2). (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?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 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 southwestern mock vervain in 9 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah.
Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.
More Arizona flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile GLGO.
- iNaturalist, Glandularia gooddingii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Verbena gooddingii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Glandularia gooddingii (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Mark Pollock via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.