Verbascum thapsus (Common mullein)

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Verbascum thapsus L.

Common mullein

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Scrophulariaceae	The figwort family (named for the resemblence of root nodes of some species to tubercular human lymph nodes, or scrophula)
Genus	Verbascum	A corruption of the Latin Barbascum, the name for these plants
Species	thapsus	“Of or from Thapsus,” (now Tunisia)

About plant names...

Common mullein is a native of Europe, Africa, and Asia; it was introduced to the Americas in the mid-1700s, and to Australia. At least in America, it spreads quickly, displacing local species, and is considered an invasive plant.

Identification: Common mullein goes through a two-year growth cycle. In the first year, the plant has low-growing rosettes of leaves (photo 21). Leaves are bluish-grayish and soft with tiny hairs. In the second year, it shoots upward, producing a single, erect flower stalk covered with tiny yellow flowers about ¼" (6.3 mm) across. Each flower has five petals. Leaves along the stalk are wide at the bottom and tapering toward the top, giving the plant a cone-shaped appearance. Dead stalks persist for some time.

Medical: At various points in the past, mullein has been used for the contradictory-appearing uses of a fish poison, a "respiratory stimulant," a cough medicine, a cure for diarrhea, and an insecticide for developing mosquitoes.

Online References:

Wikipedia

The Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted List

Illinois Wildflowers

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

Wildflowers, Ferns & Trees of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

EFloras

1 · 7/27/2016 · State Arboretum of Virginia, Boyce, Virginia

2 · 8/28/2014 · Eagle Nest Lake, Eagle Nest, New Mexico · By Susan M. Kent

3 · 5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

4 · 8/30/2014 · New Mexico
≈ 10 × 12" (25 × 31 cm)

5 · 9/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 5" (9.2 × 13 cm)

6 · 8/28/2014 · Eagle Nest Lake, Eagle Nest, New Mexico

7 · 7/20/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 4½" (8.6 × 11 cm)

8 · 9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 24 × 20" (60 × 51 cm)

9 · 8/5/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm)

10 · 8/28/2014 · Eagle Nest Lake, Eagle Nest, New Mexico · By Susan M. Kent

11 · 8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.8 × 6.6 cm)

12 · 9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 28 × 39" (71 × 97 cm)

Verbascum thapsus description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Jul 2023.

13 · 9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 31 × 38" (78 × 96 cm)

14 · 7/22/2021 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 7 × 10" (16 × 25 cm)

15 · 8/4/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 22 × 33" (56 × 84 cm)

16 · 5/19/2016 · Bemis Road Trails, Pepperell, Massachusetts

17 · 8/4/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 2½ × 3½" (6.2 × 9.3 cm)

18 · 8/30/2014 · New Mexico
≈ 31 × 47" (79 × 119 cm)

19 · 6/29/2023 · Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

20 · 9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 27 × 38" (68 × 96 cm)

21 · 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 16 × 13" (41 × 34 cm)

22 · 8/30/2014 · New Mexico
≈ 14 × 12" (34 × 31 cm)

23 · 8/29/2007 · Hagelstein Park, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
≈ 7 × 10' (2.1 × 3.2 m)

24 · During the first year of growth, the leaves remain close to the ground. · 4/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler

25 · 7/3/2005 · Bedford, New Hampshire

Range:

About this map...