This plant is often mistaken for lavender, so stop calling it by the wrong name
People in the flower industry believe that around 2007, domestic flower-growing enterprises hit a bottleneck, and their operations were blocked. In order to transform and upgrade, some enterprises began to build sightseeing tourism projects, hoping to use the effect of large areas of flower seas to not only drive local tourism but also generate income for themselves, thus creating a batch of extremely profitable internet-famous flower sea plants. However, this move is also often criticized by people in the horticultural industry, who believe that today's flower sea viewing projects are not advisable and are bubble culture of the plebeian carnival type with no substance.
The internet-famous favorites of young people are usually romantic lavender flower seas, moss phlox (Phlox subulata) flower seas, and the like. But because of climate reasons, the universally loved lavender fears heat and moisture and is not suitable for planting in the Jiangnan region. AndVerbena bonariensisIts flower color and flowering period are close to lavender, and it is not afraid of hot, humid, or sunny conditions, so it resolutely (was) tasked with this heavy responsibility,becoming a substitute for "lavender flower seas" in most parts of China. This is the eternal pain in the heart of Verbena bonariensis.
Verbena bonariensis, the "lavender" you see may be it. Image: frank wouters / wikimedia
Verbena bonariensis always feels a bit wronged. A native of South America, a foreign flower, travels thousands of miles to come to China, endures the scorching sun, blooms in summer, and decorates large areas of green space. It could originally have made a name for itself through its own excellent qualities and efforts, becoming a South American star like the chinchilla or the alpaca, but in the end how did it become a counterfeit?
Lavender: "A species with strong qualities of its own is unlikely to become a star in a foreign land. Being easy to kill is what makes you popular." The image shows Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas), like a litter of pink-purple rabbits. Image: gardenia.net
I am me, Verbena bonariensis
The hometown of Verbena bonariensis is far away in the warm regions of South America, and its specific epithet bonariensis means "from Buenos Aires." Its plant is tall and slender, capable of growing to more than one meter fifty, with stems that are angular and square, covered with rough stiff hairs,the upper part of the stem is slender and weak, while the lower part is lignified, hard as iron。
A close view of the stem of Verbena bonariensis. Image: Rob and Fiona Richardson / lucidcentral.org
The flowers of Verbena bonariensis are very small, forminga cyme, which is also the biggest difference between it and lavender in appearance. No matter which kind of lavender, its inflorescence is a spike composed of verticillasters. Roughly speaking,lavender's inflorescence is in bunches, while Verbena bonariensis's inflorescence is in clusters。
Comparison of the inflorescences of lavender (left) and Verbena bonariensis (right). Image: fir0002 & Jeantosti / wikimedia
The rise of Verbena bonariensis is related tothe "flower sea plant" industrydevelopment. There is no such term in the horticultural plant major, but since ancient times, people have been enthusiastic aboutthe ornamental effect of large areas of a single color of flowers--overwhelming, simple and crude, with a strong visual effect. In ancient times there were plum blossom seas and crabapple flower seas, as well as the "oriole flower sea" liked by Lu You; more than ten years ago, there was also the rapeseed flower sea liked by photographers from senior universities.
In fact, what is often used to impersonate lavender also includesSalviaplants andNepetaplants; their inflorescences are likewise verticillaster-spikes.Although Verbena bonariensis is used the most, it is actually the least similar substitute.
Blue salvia (left) and Nepeta × faassenii (right), also quite similar to lavender. Image: Scott Zona & Wouter Hagens / wikimedia
The genus can be used medicinally
The entire genus Verbena has more than 250 species, most of which are produced in temperate and tropical America, but the most famous among them is not an American product, but the type species of the genus Verbena,Verbena officinalis V. officinalis. It is one of the very few species in this genus native to the Old World, and is a common wild grass. Its inflorescence is not the cyme of Verbena bonariensis, but a longspike, shaped like the tip of a horsewhip。
The spike of Verbena officinalis. Image: natural-treatment-cure.com
The specific epithet of Verbena officinalis means "medicinal." Whether in Europe, Africa, or China, Verbena officinalis has a very long history of use as medicine, and in some regions various magical legends have also developed around it. Its genus name Verbena comes from Latin, meaning "sacred branch," and was often used by Celtic priests in sacrificial rituals.
In ancient Egyptian times, people called it"Tears of Isis,"Isis was the goddess in charge of fertility in ancient Egyptian mythology. Why "tears"? Probably because Verbena officinalis has a potential abortion-inducing effect, and the fertility goddess wanted to cry when she saw it.
In legend, Isis's husband was tragically harmed, and every tear Isis shed for this turned into a plant of Verbena officinalis. The mural shows Isis with spread wings. Image: Meisterwerke der Malerei
The most famous myth about Verbena officinalis is none other than the one related toJesus. According to legend, after Jesus was taken down from the cross, people used Verbena officinalis to stop his bleeding. Although it is not very clear why one would stop bleeding for a dead person, Verbena officinalis truly became the "Holy herb" or "Devil's bane" with the ability to ward off evil and exorcise demons because it was connected with Jesus in the biblical story. People also believed it could weaken the power of vampires, and many film and television works have mentioned this as well.
In the setting of The Vampire Diaries, Verbena officinalis is a plant that can restrain vampires. Image: weebly.com
No less romantic than lavender
Unlike its Old World relatives, Verbena bonariensis does not have this or that function, but its appearance is much better,its greatest function is ornamental. In fact, its ornamental effect is no worse than lavender. In most parts of China, it is very difficult to grow lavender into a good state, but Verbena bonariensis can grow very well with ease.
When a single Verbena bonariensis plant blooms, itscrown width is almost one meter wide, and planting just about ten of them can create a small flower sea in the yard. Watching the purple flower clusters gently sway in the summer breeze,in terms of romantic atmosphere, it is no worse than lavender. In fact, even without borrowing the name of lavender, it would originally have been extremely popular; its only disadvantage is that its name is rustic.
Clusters of Verbena bonariensis are truly beautiful. Image: gardeningexpress
Verbena bonariensis is not afraid of drought or waterlogging, and is not picky about soil. The cold hardiness given by the United States Department of Agriculture is zones 7-11, that is, it can tolerate low temperatures of minus 17 degrees,in most parts of China, it can also be said to be unafraid of cold or heat. In colder regions, it is not that it cannot be planted; it can be grown as an annual flower.
Itsself-sowing ability is very strong. Last year I planted 5 small seedlings, and their seeds spread throughout the entire yard. This year more than 40 sprouted, even in the cracks in the ground in non-planted areas. Verbena bonariensis is as robust as plants in the Asteraceae family, and is one of the easiest flowers I have ever grown (of course, it is also one of the most invasive).
Swipe left for a surprise. Illustration: Sthenopis
Verbena bonariensisWhen it has just sprouted, the stem is still relatively soft, and it is easily affected by phototropism and wind, gradually growing crooked,and once the base of the stem hardens, it will become a crooked grass that cannot be propped upright. Plants at the edge of a flower border are especially like this, often lodging on the ground, covering the path and affecting the view.
But if you put up railings at the edge to block them, it feels a bit out of place. At this time you canplant some slightly shorter but stiff-stemmed plants on the outer perimeter to serve as a fence, which also makes the flower border more layered and diverse.
Of course, lazy people have lazy ways of planting. You can also be like Abe no Seimei and completely neglect the flowers in the yard, letting them grow uncontrollably and freely, and then tread out a path in the middle. For some terraced and cascading flower borders, there is even less need to consider the problem of lodging.
Verbena bonariensis planted together with Cleome hassleriana. Image: Ernie Janes / NPL / mindenpictures
A beautiful invasive plant
Besides Verbena bonariensis, among the ornamental plants in the Verbenaceae family, the ones we see most often areGlandulariaGlandularia×hybrida andGlandularia teneraGlandularia tenera. They were formerly also classified in the genus Verbena. Their plants are slightly shorter, but the flowers are relatively larger, andthe colors are variable, making them very popular annual herbaceous flowers.
Glandularia tenera. Image: amansker / davesgarden.com
In addition, in some areas one can often see another invasive plant of the genus Verbena,Verbena brasiliensisV. brasiliensis, whose flower shape is ugly and not worth viewing. But the trouble is thatit can hybridize with Verbena bonariensis, producing offspring with equally ugly flower shapes。
Verbena brasiliensis, with relatively crude flower shape. Image: NOZO / wikimedia
Verbena bonariensis is a plant that very easily attracts bees and butterflies. If Verbena brasiliensis exists nearby, it is very likely to use pollinating insects as a medium and produce contaminating hybridization. For seed companies, this may cause huge losses.
A European bumblebee busy among a patch of Verbena bonariensis. Image: Nigel Bean / NPL / mindenpictures
Because of its strong survival ability, Verbena bonariensis has become a naturalized plant in many countries,and has even been listed as a harmful invasive species in some countries。
In China, the craze for flower seas still has a market. If a flower sea project is built and then abandoned after only a few years, the large-scale spread of these flowers will be a big problem. When everyone is viewing flower seas and enjoying the romantic atmosphere, they should also notice the potential harm that invasive plants bring to the ecology.
This article is the 182nd article of the 4th year of Species Calendar, from Species Calendar author @Sthenopis.
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