Blue Vervain
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Blue Vervain
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, commonly known as Blue Vervain, Blue Porterweed, Blue Snakeweed, or Jamaica Vervain, is a familiar wildflower across the Caribbean. It grows naturally along roadsides, open lots, and other disturbed areas, and is also found in Florida and parts of the wider tropical Americas.
This species is a low, sprawling perennial herb that can grow up to about 1 metre tall. Its stems may turn woody near the base, and can range from green to purplish in colour. The leaves grow in opposite pairs, are oval-shaped, and have serrated edges. The plant’s flowers appear along a thin, upright spike and are usually a soft blue or violet. Because it looks very similar to Stachytarpheta cayennensis—an invasive species in Florida—the two are sometimes mistaken for each other.
Blue Vervain grows well in sandy, loamy, or clay soils and can be found in habitats such as dunes, pine woodlands, abandoned fields, and disturbed ground.
Across the Caribbean, the fresh leaves are commonly used to make bush tea. The tea is traditionally taken as a “cooling” tonic, a blood cleanser, and to ease asthma, stomach discomfort, and similar ailments. Some studies show that tea made from this plant can lower blood pressure in animals, although high doses have also been linked to mild toxicity in certain organs. Despite this, it remains one of the region’s widely used traditional medicinal plants.
Blue Vervain’s small blue flowers also attract butterflies and small pollinators, making it a useful native species for wildlife gardens.
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Stachytarpheta
Species: S. jamaicensis
Binomial name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, commonly known as Blue Vervain, Blue Porterweed, Blue Snakeweed, or Jamaica Vervain, is a familiar wildflower across the Caribbean. It grows naturally along roadsides, open lots, and other disturbed areas, and is also found in Florida and parts of the wider tropical Americas.
This species is a low, sprawling perennial herb that can grow up to about 1 metre tall. Its stems may turn woody near the base, and can range from green to purplish in colour. The leaves grow in opposite pairs, are oval-shaped, and have serrated edges. The plant’s flowers appear along a thin, upright spike and are usually a soft blue or violet. Because it looks very similar to Stachytarpheta cayennensis—an invasive species in Florida—the two are sometimes mistaken for each other.
Blue Vervain grows well in sandy, loamy, or clay soils and can be found in habitats such as dunes, pine woodlands, abandoned fields, and disturbed ground.
Across the Caribbean, the fresh leaves are commonly used to make bush tea. The tea is traditionally taken as a “cooling” tonic, a blood cleanser, and to ease asthma, stomach discomfort, and similar ailments. Some studies show that tea made from this plant can lower blood pressure in animals, although high doses have also been linked to mild toxicity in certain organs. Despite this, it remains one of the region’s widely used traditional medicinal plants.
Blue Vervain’s small blue flowers also attract butterflies and small pollinators, making it a useful native species for wildlife gardens.
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Stachytarpheta
Species: S. jamaicensis
Binomial name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
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