# Woolly Vervain

*Verbena canescens*

The dense, woolly white hairs covering its leaves act as a natural sunscreen and windbreak, trapping a micro-layer of humid air to prevent water loss.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Verbenaceae › Verbena
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** desert
- **Habitat:** Dry, rocky limestone soils, desert grasslands, hillsides, and arid shrublands.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- **Range:** Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Northern Mexico, Central Mexico
- **Size:** 10 to 50 cm in height
- **Lifespan:** 3-5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat destruction from urban expansion, overgrazing by livestock, and displacement by invasive plant species.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. You can safely observe or touch this plant at any distance. Please avoid stepping on them, as they are fragile. No special medical action is needed upon contact.

## About

Verbena canescens , often called the woolly or gray vervain , is a plant species belonging to the family Verbenaceae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/ff37f201-4a25-43ef-8914-d4b92739c0c8
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/170143
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena canescens
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/65830769/medium.jpeg (Alison Northup, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.