Birth flower for August 22
Verbena
Meaning: harmony, family unity
The Chinese name, 'horse-whip herb', comes from its long, thin flower spikes. Europe's wild vervain was a sacred plant: Romans purified altars with it, and medieval legend said it staunched Christ's wounds on the cross, earning it the name 'herb of the cross'. The bright garden verbenas and the tall, airy purpletop verbena that fill today's flower beds are its South American cousins.