Distinctive square stem, grows to 3 feet. Plant is very hairy normally. Flowers vary from blue-violet to rose and occur in spikes at the top of the plant from late June to September. Spikes can be 5 inches long and bloom from the bottom up. Found in fields, thickets and ditches throughout the Tallgrass region.

"The seeds of Blue Vervain were collected by some Native Americans , roasted and ground into a flour or meal. Central California Miwoks used the seed meal as an extensive food source. A tea made from the leaves was used as a remedy for stomach aches by northern plains Indians. The tops of this plant persist through the hard northern winter months and provide a limited amount of food to birds.

Edible Uses: Seed - cooked. The seed can be roasted and ground into a powder or used whole as a piñole. Pleasantly bitter, some of this bitterness can be removed by leeching the flour.

Medicinal Uses: "The leaves and roots are antiperiodic, diaphoretic, emetic, expectorant, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary. The roots are more active than the leaves. The plant is used in the treatment of stomach aches, gravel, worms and scrofula, . An infusion of the roots, leaves or seeds has been used in the early stages of fevers. A snuff made from the dried flowers has been used to treat nose bleeds. Medicinal Uses: Unknown

Herbal Uses: Unknown