Verbenaceae

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis

Common Names: Snakeweed

Plant Form: Subshrub. Size: Up to 1.2 m tall. Stem: Square in cross-section when young. Leaves: Oppositely arranged, undivided, egg to oval-shaped, up to 12 cm long, with toothed edges, on stalks up to 4 cm long. Flowers: Blue to purple, tubular with five lobes, up to 8 mm across, on long, thin, curved spikes to 50 cm long above the mass of leaves. Fruit and Seeds: 3-7 mm long, hairless, dark brown to blackish, splitting into two one-seeded fragments. Habitat: Forests, bushland, roadsides, disturbed areas, streams, gardens, plantations, pastures. Distinguishing Features: Flowers tend to be lighter than in Cayenne snakeweed (Stachytarpheta cayennensis), and the flower stem is thicker at 3-5 mm versus 1-3 mm.

Leaves, spent flowers

Foliage

Old flower spikes

Flower, close-up