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Stachytarpheta cayennensis
Also called Cayenne Snakeweed, Blue Snakeweed, Bluetop, Rattail, Rough Leaf False Vervain, Snakeweed, Dark Blue Snakeweed
Cayenne porterweed is a subshrub or small shrub in the verbena family, native to the Americas and the Caribbean, with spikes of small blue or purple flowers. It grows best in warm, seasonally dry tropical conditions and is tolerant of poor soils.
Stachytarpheta cayennensis is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by many English language common names, including blue snakeweed, Cayenne snakeweed, dark-blue snakeweed, bluetop, nettle-leaf porterweed, rattail, rough-leaf false vervain, blue rat's tail, Brazilian tea, Cayenne vervain, false verbena, joee, nettleleaf velvetberry, and Cayenne porterweed. Names in other languages include honagasō (Japanese), gervão-urticante (Brazilian Portuguese), piche de gato, rabo de zorro (Spanish), herbe à chenille, herbe bleue, queue de rat (French), ōi or ōwī (Hawaiian), sakura or ouchung (Chuukese), and tiāki (Māori). It is native to the Americas, from Mexico south through Central and South America to Argentina, as well as many islands of the Caribbean.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Stachytarpheta cayennensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
