Burke: Verbascum blattaria

	Verbascum blattaria
	moth mullein
Habit	Taprooted biennial, producing a rosette of basal leaves the first year, and the second year a single, upright stem 4-15 dm. tall, which is glabrous below and with stalked glands in the inflorescence.
Leaves	Basal leaves broadly oblanceolate, 5-15 cm. long and 1-3 cm. wide, tapering to a short petiole, toothed and often lobed; cauline leaves alternate, numerous, reduced upward, becoming sessile and clasping, toothed but not lobed.
Flowers	Inflorescence an open, elongate raceme; pedicels 8-15 mm. long, much surpassing the lanceolate bracts; calyx of 5 sepals; corolla yellow or white, 2-3 cm. long, slightly irregular, 5-lobed; stamens 5, all fertile, the filaments covered with purple-knobbed hairs.
Fruits	Capsule ovoid-globose, 6-8 mm. high.

	Verbascum blattaria
Flowering time	May-September
Habitat	Roadsides, fields, ditches, meadows, wastelots, and other disturbed open areas, often where dry.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from Eurasia
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	V. bombyciferum, V. densiflorum, V. thapsus, V. virgatum
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Verbascum blattaria

moth mullein

Habit

Taprooted biennial, producing a rosette of basal leaves the first year, and the second year a single, upright stem 4-15 dm. tall, which is glabrous below and with stalked glands in the inflorescence.

Leaves

Basal leaves broadly oblanceolate, 5-15 cm. long and 1-3 cm. wide, tapering to a short petiole, toothed and often lobed;

cauline leaves alternate, numerous, reduced upward, becoming sessile and clasping, toothed but not lobed.

Flowers

Inflorescence an open, elongate raceme;

pedicels 8-15 mm. long, much surpassing the lanceolate bracts;

calyx of 5 sepals;

corolla yellow or white, 2-3 cm. long, slightly irregular, 5-lobed;

stamens 5, all fertile, the filaments covered with purple-knobbed hairs.

Fruits

Capsule ovoid-globose, 6-8 mm. high.