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molène blattaire, moth mullein

giant silver mullein, silver mullein, Turkish mullein, verbascum bombyciferum

Habit Annuals or biennials. Biennials.
Stems

60–150 cm, glabrous or glabrate.

60–200 cm, densely and persistently tomentose, eglandular.

Leaves

surfaces glabrous or glabrate;

basal and proximal cauline with petiole 1–2 mm;

blade obovate to oblanceolate, oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, 4–12(–20) × 1.5–5 cm, base subrounded to broadly cuneate;

cauline subclasping, gradually smaller distally, base not decurrent, margins coarsely and regularly crenate-dentate to dentate or pinnately dentate-lobed, apex of distal cauline and floral bracts acute.

surfaces densely and persistently tomentose, eglandular;

basal and proximal cauline with petiole 15–40 mm;

blade broadly elliptic to lanceolate-oblong, 25–35 × 15–25 cm, base attenuate;

cauline slightly auriculate-clasping, gradually smaller distally, base not decurrent, margins obscurely crenate or entire, apex of distal cauline and floral bracts acute.

Inflorescences

unbranched, rarely branched from proximal nodes, narrowly cylindric, flowers remote, solitary in axils at least distally;

rachis stipitate-glandular, without other vestiture;

bracts ovate to lanceolate-ovate, 7–10(–15) mm, base decurrent, apex acute to short-acuminate, stipitate-glandular.

unbranched or branched from proximal nodes, narrowly cylindric, flowers loosely overlapping, in clusters of 2–8;

rachis densely and persistently tomentose, eglandular;

bracts ovate to lanceolate-triangular, 7–12 mm, base not decurrent, apex acuminate, densely and persistently tomentose, eglandular.

Pedicels

free or adnate to rachis at base, 5–11(–15) mm;

bracteoles 0.

free, 2–5 mm;

bracteoles 2.

Flowers

calyx 5–7 mm, stipitate-glandular, lobes linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblong;

corolla purple in bud, becoming yellow, yellow-orange, yellow with purple center, white, cream with red-tinged tips, or pink, 25–35 mm diam., pellucid glands absent or relatively few;

proximal filaments hairy, hairs purple, distal pair villous, hairs white and purple or violet;

stigma spatulate, base decurrent.

calyx 6–10 mm, densely and persistently tomentose, eglandular, lobes lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate;

corolla yellow, (20–)30–40 mm diam., pellucid glands absent;

filaments villous, hairs yellowish to yellowish white, or 2 proximal glabrous distally or completely;

stigma spatulate, base decurrent.

Capsules

subglobular, 5–8 mm, sparsely stipitate-glandular apically.

ovoid to subglobular, 5–8 mm, tomentose.

2n

= 18, 30, 32.

Verbascum blattaria

Verbascum bombyciferum

Phenology Flowering May–Jul(–Oct). Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Stream banks, lake edges, ditches, dry hills, railroad rights-of-way, orchards, prairies, open oak woods, rocky meadows, roadsides, fields, disturbed sites. Grassy, rocky benches, streambeds.
Elevation 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.) 300–500 m. (1000–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; ON; QC; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (Hawaii, New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Asia (Turkey) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe (England, Germany)]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Verbascum ×pterocaulon Franchet is a hybrid between V. blattaria and V. thapsus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Verbascum bombyciferum is naturalized in Sonoma County, escaped from ornamental plantings in 1976 at a residence on the Pepperwood Preserve (F. Hrusa et al. 2002). Photos of the population (http://www.calflora.org) show plants (intermixed with typical V. thapsus) with a dense, persistent, bright white vestiture, spikes unbranched or proximally few-branched and 1–2 m, the floral clusters thick and somewhat remotely arranged, yellow corollas with yellowish to yellowish white filament hairs, and broadly elliptic, basally attenuate leaves densely and persistently tomentose on both surfaces. Internet photos confirm the identification as V. bombyciferum and indicate that the Calflora photos show plants just beginning to flower, as the plants potentially elongate proximally and the spikes may develop lateral branches, although the central one usually remains dominant.

Verbascum bombyciferum of Sonoma County has been identified previously (F. Hrusa et al. 2002) as V. olympicum Boissier, and that name has correspondingly been registered in other literature. Verbascum bombyciferum (as well as V. olympicum) is endemic in native range to Mount Olympus (now known as Uludağ) in northwestern Turkey.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 346. FNA vol. 17, p. 348.
Parent taxa Scrophulariaceae > Verbascum Scrophulariaceae > Verbascum
Sibling taxa
V. bombyciferum, V. densiflorum, V. lychnitis, V. nigrum, V. phlomoides, V. phoeniceum, V. pulverulentum, V. sinuatum, V. speciosum, V. thapsus, V. virgatum
V. blattaria, V. densiflorum, V. lychnitis, V. nigrum, V. phlomoides, V. phoeniceum, V. pulverulentum, V. sinuatum, V. speciosum, V. thapsus, V. virgatum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 178. (1753) Boissier: Diagn. Pl. Orient. 1(4): 52. (1844)
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