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molène blattaire, moth mullein

showy mullein

Habit Annuals or biennials.
Stems

60–150 cm, glabrous or glabrate.

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.

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.

Pedicels

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

bracteoles 0.

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.

Capsules

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

2n

= 18, 30, 32.

Verbascum blattaria

Verbascum speciosum

Phenology Flowering May–Jul(–Oct).
Habitat Stream banks, lake edges, ditches, dry hills, railroad rights-of-way, orchards, prairies, open oak woods, rocky meadows, roadsides, fields, disturbed sites.
Elevation 0–1300 m. (0–4300 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; IL; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[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.)

Subspecies 2 (1 in the flora).

It is not clear that subsp. speciosum is the best identification for plants in the flora area, if the infraspecific distinction is to be made. Subspecies speciosum is characterized by leaves with grayish, rather harsh tomentum and capsules 3–6 mm; subsp. megaphlomos (Boissier & Heldreich) Nyman is characterized by leaves with a white or yellowish, soft, thick tomentum and capsules 5–7 mm. Distinctly elongate basal and proximal cauline leaves are often found in Verbascum speciosum.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 346. FNA vol. 17, p. 351.
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. bombyciferum, V. densiflorum, V. lychnitis, V. nigrum, V. phlomoides, V. phoeniceum, V. pulverulentum, V. sinuatum, V. thapsus, V. virgatum
Subordinate taxa
V. speciosum subsp. speciosum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 178. (1753) Schrader: Index Seminum (Göttingen) 2: 22, plate 16. (1811)
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