Burke: Verbascum thapsus

	Verbascum thapsus
	flannel mullein, great mullein
Habit	Coarse, taprooted biennial, producing a rosette of basal leaves the first year, and a single, erect stem 0.4-2 m. tall the second year, the entire plant covered with white-woolly, branched hairs.
Leaves	Basal leaves broadly oblanceolate, 1-4 dm. long and 4-12 cm. wide, tapered to a long petiole, nearly entire; cauline leaves alternate, numerous, reduced upward, becoming sessile and clasping.
Flowers	Inflorescence a dense, elongate spike; calyx of 5 sepals; corolla usually yellow, slightly irregular, 5 lobed, 1-2 cm. wide; stamens 5, all fertile, the upper 3 filaments densely yellow-hairy, the lower 2 glabrous and longer.
Fruits	Capsule broadly ovoid, 7-10 mm. long.

	Verbascum thapsus
Flowering time	June-September
Habitat	Fields, roadsides, wastelots, disturbed forest edge, thickets, and other disturbed open areas.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from Eurasia
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	V. blattaria, V. bombyciferum, V. densiflorum, V. virgatum
Subordinate taxa	V. thapsus ssp. thapsus
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 thapsus

flannel mullein, great mullein

Habit

Coarse, taprooted biennial, producing a rosette of basal leaves the first year, and a single, erect stem 0.4-2 m. tall the second year, the entire plant covered with white-woolly, branched hairs.

Leaves

Basal leaves broadly oblanceolate, 1-4 dm. long and 4-12 cm. wide, tapered to a long petiole, nearly entire;

cauline leaves alternate, numerous, reduced upward, becoming sessile and clasping.

Flowers

Inflorescence a dense, elongate spike;

calyx of 5 sepals;

corolla usually yellow, slightly irregular, 5 lobed, 1-2 cm. wide;

stamens 5, all fertile, the upper 3 filaments densely yellow-hairy, the lower 2 glabrous and longer.

Fruits

Capsule broadly ovoid, 7-10 mm. long.