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

Many verbena varieties are both mounding and trailing, filling multiple rolls in a container planting. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026

Pink, purple, yellow, red, orange, green, white Historically used in traditional medicine and now beloved as an essential oil, verbena is also a beautiful self-seeding flower with eye-catching purple blooms. —Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026

This container combines the tropical Canna 'Australis', verbena, sweet potato vine, 'Midnight Lace', Angelonia, and Scaevola. —Midwest Living, 22 Apr. 2026

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