verbena

noun

ver·​be·​na (ˌ)vər-ˈbē-nə 

: vervain

especially : any of numerous garden vervains of hybrid origin widely grown for their showy spikes of white, pink, red, or blue flowers which are borne in profusion over a long season compare lemon verbena

Examples of verbena in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nasturtiums, million bells, trailing verbena and sweet alyssum also lend themselves nicely to the pots. —ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026

Every morning, tea master Mohammed Ait Belhaj gathered mint, verbena, rosemary, geranium, and sage from the grounds to make an infusion to suit the season, or perhaps his mood. —Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026

Depending on the variety, verbena grows 1 to 5 feet tall to fill in the lower space around a crepe myrtle, and pollinators like to visit its long-lasting blooms from spring through fall. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2026

Grasses, verbena and other low-growing plants in the dunes will help anchor the sand in a natural way and build a buffer to protect nearby structures from erosion, Timberlake said Tuesday. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Verbena, a plant genus, going back to Medieval Latin verbēna "the plant Verbena officinalis," going back to Latin, "leafy branch used ceremonially or medicinally" — more at vervain

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing verbena

• lemon verbena
• sand verbena

Rhymes for verbena

• arena
• athena
• cantina
• carina
• carmina
• catena
• czarina
• domina
• equina
• farina
• galena
• glossina

Kids Definition

verbena

noun

ver·​be·​na (ˌ)vər-ˈbē-nə 

: any of a genus of numerous plants including some that are often grown in gardens for their showy spikes of white, pink, red, or blue flowers