Verbascum thapsus L.

Common mullein

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 20). 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:

Verbascum thapsus on Wikipedia

Verbascum thapsus on the Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted List

Verbascum thapsus at Illinois Wildflowers

Verbascum thapsus on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Verbascum thapsus on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Verbascum thapsus on Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

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

Verbascum thapsus on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Verbascum thapsus on 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)

Verbascum thapsus description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 17 Aug 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

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

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

20 · 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 16 × 13" (41 × 33 cm)

21 · 8/30/2014 · New Mex­ico
≈ 14 × 12" (34 × 31 cm)

22 · 8/29/2007 · Hagelstein Park, Upper Klamath Lake, Ore­gon
≈ 7 × 10' (2.1 × 3.2 m)

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

24 · 7/3/2005 · Bedford, New Hamp­shire

Range:

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