About Verbena litoralis Kunth
Verbena litoralis Kunth is a species of verbena with the common names seashore vervain and Brazilian vervain, and it is called ōwī in Hawaiian. It is native to the Americas, ranging from Mexico south through Central and South America to Argentina and Chile. It occurs across the world as an introduced species, and is classified as a noxious weed in some regions. It has become naturalized in the contiguous United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Mauritius, the Galápagos Islands, Australia, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Japan, New Zealand, and many other locations. It can grow in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas and cultivated land.
This perennial herb produces one or more hairless or slightly bristly erect stems, which grow between 40 centimeters to well over one meter tall. Its rough-haired leaves are somewhat lance-shaped with serrated edges, and leaf blades can reach up to 10 centimeters in length. The inflorescence consists of one to eleven erect spikes of flowers; these spikes are dense at the tip and more open along the lower portion. Each small tubular flower has a purple corolla approximately half a centimeter wide.
