Common vervain
Verbena officinalis
Family · Verbenaceae · Harmless
The unremarkable plant with thin spikes and tiny lilac flowers that grows on any verge and goes completely unnoticed. It was among the most sacred plants of ancient Europe, used ritually by druids and Romans.
Roadsides and waste ground · Fields and pasture · Town and roadside · Streams and ditches
Also known asholy herb, simpler's joy
How to tell it
A rigid, rough, four-angled stem. Opposite leaves, deeply cut on the lower ones. Very long thin spikes, almost bare, with tiny lilac flowers opening a few at a time and moving up the spike.
What it is confused with
No dangerous lookalikes known in the Iberian Peninsula.
What it is for
A traditional infusion in European folk medicine, and a ritual plant with a long history. A note that stays on the sheet: not used in pregnancy, and none of this replaces treatment.
With documented traditional uses. Not a therapeutic indication and not a dose.
Where it occurs
Each square is an area with recorded observations of this plant. The lighter background is the set of areas where any of the entries has been observed, and serves as a reference. Note what this is not: it is not where the plant lives, it is where people record it, so trails and towns always look fuller than the mountains. Data from GBIF.
Sources
Community
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