These same flowers can be picked throughout the growing season, placed in olive oil and left to infuse. [67], Other insects commonly found on great mullein feed exclusively on Verbascum species in general or V. thapsus in particular. [10], Phytochemicals in Verbascum thapsus flowers and leaves include saponins, polysaccharides, mucilage, flavonoids, tannins, iridoid and lignin glycosides, and essential oils. [13] Flowering lasts up to three months from early to late summer (June to August in northern Europe),[4] with flowering starting at the bottom of the spike and progressing irregularly upward; each flower opens for part of a day and only a few open at the same time around the stem. While it can also grow in areas where some vegetation already exists, growth of the rosettes on bare soil is four to seven times more rapid. [72], Control of the plant, when desired, is best managed via mechanical means, such as hand pulling and hoeing, preferably followed by sowing of native plants. The five stamens are of two types, with the three upper stamens being shorter, their filaments covered by yellow or whitish hairs, and having smaller anthers, while the lower two stamens have glabrous filaments and larger anthers. crassifolium, the hairiness is less dense and often absent from the upper part of the anthers, while lower leaves are hardly decurrent and have longer petioles. [53], Oil from the flowers was used against catarrhs, colics, earaches, frostbite, eczema and other external conditions. [10] While they can germinate in total darkness if proper conditions are present (tests give a 35% germination rate under ideal conditions), in the wild, they in practice only do so when exposed to light, or very close to the soil surface, which explains the plant's habitat preferences. [11], For the purpose of botanical nomenclature, Verbascum thapsus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 Species Plantarum. [50] In Canada, it is most common in the Maritime Provinces as well as southern Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, with scattered populations in between. [56] Because of this, and because the plant is an extremely prolific seed bearer (each plant produces hundreds of capsules, each containing up to 700+ seeds,[19] with a total up to 180,000[9][10] or 240,000[12] seeds), it remains in the soil seed bank for extended periods of time, and can sprout from apparently bare ground,[10] or shortly after forest fires long after previous plants have died. European reference books call it "great mullein". Add beeswax to the infused oil, and you have a balm that is a welcome addition to any baby's changing table. [70][71] A number of pest Lepidoptera species, including the stalk borer (Papaipema nebris) and gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), also use V. thapsus as a host plant. [54] Triennial individuals have been found to produce fewer seeds than biennial and annual ones. [2] It has been used to make dyes and torches. [78] The German Commission E describes uses of the plant for respiratory infections. When a lectotype (type selected amongst original material) was designated, it was assigned to specimen 242.1 of Linnaeus' herbarium, the only V. thapsus specimen. [19][68] A study found V. thapsus hosts insects from 29 different families. Under better growing conditions, some individuals flower in the first year. [28] In subsp. [19] Great mullein rarely establishes on new grounds without human intervention because its seeds do not disperse very far. The plant has a long taproot, which makes it difficult to harvest and nearly impossible to transplant. [5] The tall, pole-like stems end in a dense spike of flowers[3] that can occupy up to half the stem length. This ability to grow in a wide range of habitats has been linked to strong phenotype variation rather than adaptation capacities. oreophilum and Verbascum cheiranthifolium var. When harvesting, be sure to use a spade and dig when the soil contains some moisture. [7], On flowering plants, the leaves are alternately arranged up the stem. [3][4] The leaves are large, up to 50 cm long. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. [1] It is a minor problem for most agricultural crops, since it is not a competitive species, being intolerant of shade from other plants and unable to survive tilling. A tincture (or an extract) of mullein alleviates this problem, although it is extremely bitter. [9][82], Due to its weedy capacities, the plant, unlike other species of the genus (such as V. phoeniceum), is not often cultivated. The second-year plants normally produce a single unbranched stem, usually 1–2 m tall. They are thick and decurrent, with much variation in leaf shape between the upper and lower leaves on the stem, ranging from oblong to oblanceolate, and reaching sizes up to 50 cm long and 14 cm across (19 inches long and 5 inches wide). [40], Some names refer to the plant's size and shape: "shepherd's club(s)" or "staff", "Aaron's Rod" (a name it shares with a number of other plants with tall, yellow inflorescences), and a plethora of other "X's staff" and "X's rod". Verbascum thapsus, the great mullein or common mullein, is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced in the Americas and Australia. [18] European plants exhibit considerable phenotypical variation,[19] which has led to the plant acquiring many synonyms over the years. [31], The plant has been used in an attempt to treat colds, croup, sunburn and other skin irritations. [5], It has been introduced throughout the temperate world, and is established as a weed in Australia, New Zealand, tropical Asia, La Réunion, North America, Hawaii, Chile, Hispaniola and Argentina. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping. Verbascum thapsus, the great mullein or common mullein, is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced in the Americas and Australia.[1]. [25][29], V. thapsus is known by a variety of names. In such ecological contexts, it crowds out native herbs and grasses; its tendency to appear after forest fires also disturbs the normal ecological succession. [9] Useful insects are also hosted by great mullein, including predatory mites of the genera Galendromus, Typhlodromus and Amblyseius, the minute pirate bug Orius tristicolor[67] and the mullein plant bug (Campylomma verbasci). These make the plant a potential reservoir for overwintering pests. giganteum and subsp. The dried stems may persist into the following spring or even the next summer. [9] It is now found commonly in all the states. Mullein is an easy-to-grow plant, often seen growing in fields and ditches. [6][note 1] The plant produces small, ovoid (6 mm, 0.24 in) capsules that split open by way of two valves, each capsule containing large numbers of minute, brown seeds less than 1 mm (0.04 in)[12] in size, marked with longitudinal ridges. (× V. Mullein is considered an invasive weed in many states, but many of the 300 varieties are suitable to grow as ornamentals in home landscapes. It prefers full sun and dry soil. [19][51], Great mullein most frequently grows as a colonist of bare and disturbed soil, usually on sandy or chalky ones. Animals rarely graze it because of its irritating hairs, and liquid herbicides require surfactants to be effective, as the hair causes water to roll off the plant, much like the lotus effect. crassifolium also differs from the type in having slightly larger flowers, which measure 15–30 mm wide, whereas in the type they are 12–20 mm in diameter. A recent revision led its author to maintain V. giganteum but sink V. crassifolium into synonymy. While year of flowering and size are linked to the environment, most other characteristics appear to be genetic. Mullein is an attractive flowering landscape plant with a rich history as an herbal remedy. They include mullein thrips (Haplothrips verbasci),[67] Gymnaetron tetrum (whose larva consume the seeds) and the mullein moth (Cucullia verbasci). [76] All preparations meant to be drunk have to be finely filtered to eliminate the irritating hairs. It is a biennial, spending its first year as a rosette of furry leaves, and producing its flowers in its second year, between June and August. [80] Native Americans and American colonists lined their shoes with leaves from the plant to keep out the cold. Most of the pests found were western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), Lygus species such as the tarnished plant bug (L. lineolaris), and various spider mites from the family Tetranychidae. [19] Flowers are self-fecundating and protogynous (with female parts maturing first),[19] and will self-pollinate if they have not been pollinated by insects during the day. Eaton went so far as to write: "When botanists are so infatuated with wild speculation, as to tell us the mullein was introduced, they give our youngest pupils occasion to sneer at their teachers. Amy Jeanroy is an herbalist and professional gardener with several years of experience. Mullein is an accurate indicator of a soil's contamination level. A similar tea … [27] Both subsp. [66], Despite not being an agricultural weed in itself, it hosts a number of insects and diseases, including both pests and beneficial insects. [19], The seeds maintain their germinative powers for decades, up to a hundred years, according to some studies. The yellow, candle-like flower spikes of Great mullein can reach up to 2m in height, making this an impressive plant of dry and grassy ground, including gardens, waste ground and roadside verges. [1], A species of mullein in the family Scrophulariaceae native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced in the Americas and Australia, The lectotypification is usually attributed to Arthur Huber-Morath (1971). [9][10][12] Visitors include halictid bees and hoverflies. Of these, the most common is V. × semialbum Chaub. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, but prefers well-lit, disturbed soils, where it can appear soon after the ground receives light, from long-lived seeds that persist in the soil seed bank. The specific epithet thapsus had been first used by Theophrastus (as Θάψος, Thapsos)[14] for an unspecified herb from the Ancient Greek settlement of Thapsos, near modern Syracuse, Sicily,[14][15] though it is often assimilated to the ancient Tunisian city of Thapsus. [1], V. thapsus is a dicotyledonous plant that produces a rosette of leaves in its first year of growth. Its small, yellow flowers are densely grouped on a tall stem, which grows from a large rosette of leaves. Banko, Paul C., Black, Jeffrey M. and Banko, Winston E. (1999). There are three usually recognized subspecies: In all subspecies but the type, the lower stamens are also hairy. The majority of mulleins grown in the UK are natives of Southern Europe and are mostly hardy in … crassifolium were originally described as species. [8][9] They become smaller higher up the stem,[3][4] and less strongly decurrent down the stem. Mullein is a medicinal plant and considered as an expectorant and antiseptic, thus used in … [3] Due to its morphological variation, V. thapsus has had a great many subspecies described. V. × spurium W.D.J.Koch), have also been reported in North America. [7] All occur in Eurasia,[7] and three, V. × kerneri Fritsch, V. × pterocaulon Franch. The mullein flowers are harvested daily, as they open. Burning is ineffective, as it only creates new bare areas for seedlings to occupy.
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