Bloomipedia
White vervain (Verbena urticifolia)
Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

White vervain

Verbena urticifolia

White vervain (Verbena urticifolia) 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

White vervain is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

37states where USDA records it
4Bloomipedia state lists include it
20,157U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri

Quick look

Verbena urticifolia, known as nettle-leaved vervain or white vervain, is a herbaceous plant in the vervain family (Verbenaceae). It belongs to the "true" vervains of genus Verbena.

  • 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 37 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Iowa. NatureServe
  • In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–August. iNaturalist
  • In Indiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,864 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #101 among the 180 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 844 research-grade sightings of it in Indiana, ranking #90 among the 173 flowers on our Indiana list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 726 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #93 among the 177 flowers on our Missouri list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,590 records)
Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
IllinoisNativeJuly–August1,864
IndianaNativeJune–August844
MissouriNativefew records (35)726
IowaNativefew records (33)320

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
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
Indiana
No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Indiana.
Missouri
Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. 3 CSR 10-4.111
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
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: ME (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 page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

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 white vervain in 37 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, 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.

Indiana counties with USDA records: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Elkhart, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Knox, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lagrange, Lake, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Noble, Orange, Owen, Parke, Pike, Porter, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Steuben, Sullivan, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, White, Whitley.

Missouri counties with USDA records: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Audrain, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Buchanan, Butler, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Carter, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, DeKalb, Dent, Douglas, Dunklin, Franklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howard, Howell, Iron, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Macon, Madison, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Mississippi, Moniteau, Montgomery, New Madrid, Newton, Nodaway, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Pemiscot, Pettis, Phelps, Pike, Platte, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Reynolds, Ripley, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wright.

Names, range and relatives

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

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 1404 counties across 36 states; the most are in Illinois (102), Missouri (102), Virginia (93).

Other Verbena on Bloomipedia (7): Blue vervain, Hoary 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.

More Illinois flowers

Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)

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Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta)

Hoary vervain

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Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

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Sources