''Verbascum blattaria'', the moth mullein, is a flowering

biennial plant A biennial plant is a flowering plant that, generally in a temperate climate, takes two years to complete its biological life cycle. Life cycle In its first year, the biennal plant undergoes primary growth, during which its vegetative structures ...

belonging to the figwort family

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

. A native of Eurasia and North Africa, it has

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

in the United States and most of Canada since its introduction and has become an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

there. It has been declared a noxious weed by the state of Colorado.United States Department of Agriculture http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VEBL

Common name

''Verbascum blattaria'' is more commonly referred to as the moth mullein, so named because of the resemblance of its flower's

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s to a moth’s antennae.Connecticut Botanical Society http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/verbascumblat.html This is not to be confused with the more popular and widely known common mullein ('' V. thapsus''), a close relative of ''V. blattaria''.Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
/ref>

Description

The moth mullein is a biennial plant. In its first year after sowing, 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 The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

with deeply toothed edges and are attached to the stem by short petioles. The rosette can grow to a diameter of during this first year, with each individual leaf reaching a length up to . The mullein forms a fibrous root system with a deep taproot. In the second year of growth, the stem grows slender and erect, and can reach a height of . 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. These leaves can reach a length of . Both the leaves of the rosette and the leaves of the flowering stem are dark green in color and glabrous (hairless). The flowers are produced during the second year of growth on a loose

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

. Each flower is attached individually to the flowering stem by a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

. Each pedicel typically reaches a length less than . The flowers of the mullein consist of five petals and five anther-bearing stamens, and each flower can reach a diameter of . 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. The moth mullein grows a small, simple fruit that is spherical in shape and has a diameter less than . Each fruit is dark brown in color and contains numerous dark brown seeds. The fruit of the mullein develops, matures, and falls from the plant all in the second year of growth. In certain regions of the world, finches have been known to consume and distribute the seeds.

Distribution

A native of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, ''Verbascum blattaria'' has naturalized in most of North America since its introduction. It was first recorded in Pennsylvania in 1818, and was recorded in Michigan in 1840.Michigan State University W.J. Beal Botanical Garden
/ref> It has since been found in almost every one of the continental United States, as well as in southern Canada and even Hawaii. In the United States, it is found most abundantly along the East Coast. VEBL

Though having a wide range of habitats, ''Verbascum blattaria'' is typically found in open fields such as pastures and meadows. It can also be found in open woods. The moth mullein prefers rich soils, but is tolerant of dry, sandy, and even gravelly soils.

Uses

Even in folk medicine, ''Verbascum blattaria'' has not been attributed to a wide range of uses. However, a study conducted in 1974 reported that when a number of ''

Aedes aegypti ''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...

'' mosquito larvae were exposed to a methanol extract of moth mullein, at least 53% of the larvae were killed. ''V. blattaria'' has also long been known to be an effective cockroach repellent, and the name ''blattaria'' is actually derived from the Latin word for cockroach, ''blatta''.

Viability

In a famous

long-term experiment A long-term experiment is an experimental procedure that runs through a long period of time, in order to test a hypothesis or observe a phenomenon that takes place at an extremely slow rate. What duration is considered "long" depends on the academ ...

, Dr.

William James Beal William James Beal (March 11, 1833 – May 12, 1924) was an American botanist. He was a pioneer in the development of hybrid corn and the founder of the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden. Biography Beal was born in Adrian, Michigan, to William and ...

, then a professor of botany at Michigan Agriculture College, selected seeds of 21 different plant species (including ''Verbascum blattaria'') and placed seeds of each in 20 separate bottles filled with sand.Telewski, F.W. and Zeevaart, A.D. 2002. ''The 120-Year Period for Dr. Beal's Seed Viability Experiment.'' American Journal of Botany 89(8): 1285-1288. The bottles, left uncorked, were buried mouth down (so as not to allow moisture to reach the seeds) in a sandy knoll in 1879. The purpose of this experiment was to determine how long the seeds could be buried dormant in the soil, and yet germinate in the future when planted. In 2000, one of these bottles was dug up, and 23 seeds of ''V. blattaria'' were planted in favorable conditions, yielding a 50% germination rate.

References

External links

Verbascum : the most complete sourceJepson Manual TreatmentWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q159450 blattaria Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Europe Flora of North Africa Flora of temperate Asia