Verbena Officinalis (Common Verbena) 熊葛（クマツヅラ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is verbena officinalis or common verbena at Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Tokyo. I presumed that verbena was all groundcover, so this thin and tall one surprised me.   

Common verbena is called "Bear basket" or "Horse whip plant" in Japan. The latter "Horse whip plant" is after the plant's shape (easy to understand!), while the reason why it's called "Bear basket" is unknown.

These tiny "whips" were blowing in the wind. Looking at them made me forget about COVID-19 for a while.    

Verbena officinalis 熊葛