Verbascum blattaria
| Verbascum blattaria | |
|---|---|
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| Panicle | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Verbascum |
| Species: | V. blattaria |
| Binomial name | |
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Verbascum blattaria L. |
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Verbascum blattaria, or moth mullein, is a flowering biennial weed belonging to the Scrophulariaceae (figwort) family. An invasive species native to Eurasia and North Africa, it has naturalized in the United States and most of Canada since its introduction. It has been declared a noxious weed by the state of Colorado.
V. blattaria is more commonly referred to as the moth mullein, so named because of the resemblance of its flowers' stamen to a moth’s antennae. This is not to be confused with the more popular and widely known common mullein (V. thapsus), a close relative of V. blattaria.
The moth mullein is a biennial plant. In its first year of growth, its leaves develop as a basal rosette. During this first year, the stem of the plant remains extremely short. The leaves of the rosette are oblanceolate with deeply toothed edges and are attached to the stem by short petioles. The rosette can grow to a diameter of 16 in (40 cm) during this first year, with each individual leaf reaching a length up to 8 in. The mullein forms a fibrous root system with a deep taproot.
In the second year of growth, the stem of the mullein grows slender and erect, and can reach a height of 2 to 5 ft. This length of stem is commonly referred to as the flowering stem. It usually grows unbranched, and leaves grow alternatively directly off the stem. The leaves located on the flowering stem are similar to the leaves of the rosette; however, they tend to be smaller and elliptical with shallow-toothed edges and have sharply pointed tips. Theses leaves can reach a length of 5 in. Both the leaves of the rosette and the leaves of the flowering stem are dark green in color and glabrous (hairless).
The flowers of the moth mullein are produced during the second year of growth, and are found in loose clusters near the top of the flowering stem. Each flower is attached individually to the flowering stem by a pedicel. Each pedicel typically reaches a length less than 1 in. The flowers of the mullein consist of five petals and five anther-bearing stamens, and each flower can reach a diameter of 1 in (25 mm). The flowers can be either yellow or white and typically have a slight purple tinge. The stamens of the flower are orange in color and are covered in purple hairs, reminiscent to a moth’s antennae. The flowers of the mullein bloom between June and October of the second year.
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Wikipedia