FNPS Plant Database

Glandularia maritima

beach verbena, coastal mock vervain
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

beach verbena, coastal mock vervain

Synonym(s):

Verbena maritima

Genus species:

Glandularia maritima

Family:

Verbenaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1 ft tall by 1-1.5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

purple

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

evergreen

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden, groundcover. Would also work well as a mass planting. Can be grown in containers.

Considerations:

Be careful to plant only your local verbenas.  Closely related verbenas hybridize, and you do not want to damage the genetics of the species found naturally near you.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Not wet but not extremely dry -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salt.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Nectar source for a variety of butterflies and moths, including Gulf fritillaries, hawkmoths and long-tailed skippers.





Pollinated by miner bees and long-tongued bees such as bumblebees and orchid bees.

Native Habitats:

Back dunes, dunal swales, coastal hammocks. Sandy open areas.

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Endemic.  This plant is listed as endangered by the State of Florida.



Harvesting and transporting from the wild require landowner permission and may require a permit from the state. Please acquire through a reputable native plant nursery.

Citations:

Chafin, L. G. (2000). Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL.


Hammer, Roger. (2015). Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Florida Wildflower Foundation. (2019). Flower Friday: Coastal Mock Vervain. ( https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-glandularia-maritima/ ). Accessed 2026. Florida Wildflower Foundation, Maitland.


Gilman, Edward F., Ryan W. Klein, and Gail Hansen. (2024). Verbena maritima , Beach Verbena. ( https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP598 ). Accessed 2026. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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