# Bigbract Verbena (*verbena bracteata*) The Bigbract Verbena is a colorful flower that attracts butterflies and bees! Its bright blooms can make any garden look more cheerful and lively. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger - **Snaps:** 4 - **Habitat:** It lives in sunny fields, gardens, and along roadsides. - **Also known as:** Bract Verbena, Bracted Verbena, Purple Verbena ![Bigbract Verbena](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Verbena_bracteata_9.jpg&width=800) Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Verbena_bracteata_9.jpg) ## Appearance The Bigbract Verbena is a low-growing plant with sprawling stems and deeply lobed leaves. Its small, purplish-blue flowers are clustered in dense spikes, often partially hidden by prominent, stiff, leaf-like green bracts that give it its name. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Lamiales - **Family:** Verbenaceae - **Genus:** Verbena ## Interesting facts - Despite its common beauty, in some places, it's considered a persistent weed! - Its tiny purple flowers hug the ground, almost hidden by leafy protectors! - Native Americans once used parts of this verbena for traditional remedies. - This tough plant can grow in sidewalk cracks and dry, dusty spots! ## Special abilities - **Protective Bracts:** Bigbract Verbena has large, leaf-like bracts that help shield its tiny flowers and developing seeds from harm. - **Sprawling Spread:** This verbena can grow close to the ground, spreading its stems to outcompete other plants for space and light. - **Drought Resilience:** Bigbract Verbena can thrive in dry, poor soils as its roots help it find water, making it very tough. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 10-60 cm - **Spread:** 15-90 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring_to_fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar - **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — collects pollen and nectar - **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar from the blooms ## Traits - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Bigbract Verbena? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Bigbract Verbena? 10-60 cm ### How wide does Bigbract Verbena spread? 15-90 cm ### How big are the flowers on Bigbract Verbena? 0.2-0.5 cm ### When does Bigbract Verbena bloom? Spring_to_fall ### Is Bigbract Verbena edible? No ### Is Bigbract Verbena toxic? None ### What is Bigbract Verbena's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Clayton Public Schools Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clayton-public-schools-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District - [Dinosaur Ridge](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/dinosaur-ridge) — Colorado, US · Natural Landmark - [Clover Bend Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clover-bend-historic-district) — Arkansas, US · Historic District - [Lock and Dam No. 15](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lock-and-dam-no-15) — Iowa, US · Historic Site - [Vander Veer Botanical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/vander-veer-botanical-park) — Iowa, US · Botanical Garden - [Dinosaur Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/dinosaur-park) — South Dakota, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see Bigbract Verbena](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/bigbract-verbena) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Bigbract Verbena: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bigbract-verbena)