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Porterweed Dark Purple

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Butterfly Garden

​​Porterweed Dark Purple

​Stachytarpheta urticifolia

• ​Common Name: Porterweed (purple)
  
• Scientific Name: Stachytarpheta urticifolia
  
• Family Name: Verbenaceae
  
• Origin: Tropical Asia
  
• Height: up to 5’ (height varies in species).
  
• Width: 3’ – 5’ spacing
  
• Growth: Fast     
  
• Zone: 9B - 11
  
• Light Needs: Full sun – partial shade.
  
• Salt Tolerance:  Moderate.
  
• Soil/PH/Texture: Tolerates sand or clay soils, slightly acidic – neutral (pH 6.1 – 7.5 - but is adaptable).
  
• Soil Moisture: Average moisture, after it is established it has low water needs besides during droughts.
  
• Drought Tolerance: High
  
• Pests/Diseases: No serious pests or diseases.
  
• Growing Conditions: Low maintenance, may overwinter if it is protected from the cold. Plants that survive the winter but die back to the ground should be cut back just before new spring growth resumes.
  
• Characteristics: This evergreen has dark green fuzzy leaves with sharply toothed margins on their leaves. Its flowers are slightly smaller and purple to darker blue, with a white center and appear in numbers on long spikes at the end of its stems. These flowers bloom from summer to fall.
  
• Propagation: By seed or cuttings.
  
• Wildlife: Attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
  
• Facts: It is a host plant for the tropical buckeye and a nectar source for many butterfly species.
  
• Designer Considerations: It is used as accent for a mixed garden bed, lining on sides of walkways, informal foundation shrub, surrounding the base of a specimen plant. Good for xeriscaping and container plant that is 3 gallons or larger and well-drained.