Mulleins Verbascum species  
 
Family – Scrophulariaceae, Figwort family
Biennial or short lived perennial – up to 2m tall c. 40 cm spread
Flowering – June to October
Soils – Neutral to alkaline
Sun – Full sun or partial shade
 
There are five species of Verbascum in Britain and Ireland of which two are common and can do well in gardens.  Both develop a large spreading rosette of soft hairy leaves in their first year, and grow a tall flower spike in their second. The name “mullein” derives from the French word for “soft”  "Verbascum" is a name used by Theophrastus in the fourth century BCE and by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia of AD 77, and means “with a beard”, presumably from the felted leaves.  Dark mullein was first described by l’Obel in 1571, and great mullein by Turner in 1538.1.
 
 
 
Great mullein Verbascum thapsus 
The great, or common, mullein (above) is a biennial (or a short-lived perennial) and can reach two metres high. It is named V. thapsus after the settlement of Thapsos, near modern Syracuse in Sicily, or after Thapsus an ancient Tunisian city. There are three subspecies and several cultivars and garden hybrids.
 
The leaves are very densely hairy, and this is reflected in some of the common names for this species, such as wooly mullein, Aaron’s flannel, beggar’s blanket, blanket leaf, duffle, velvet dock and cuddy-lugs (ie donkey’s ears).2.
It is much the commonest of the native Verbascum species, and its tall bright yellow flower spikes are very conspicuous in the garden and on wasteland.
 
Great mullein was widely used in herbal medicine especially for ear complaints, and inflammations for the mouth and throat. Culpeper notes its value in toothache, various bowel and bladder complaints, gout and warts.3. 
 
Great mullein is an important food plant for several curculionid weevils, and caterpillars including the mullein moth Cucullia verbasci, the frosted orange moth Gortyna flavago and the death’s-head hawkmoth Acherontia atropos.4. 
 
 
Dark Mullein Verbascum nigrum
This striking biennial (above) has dense flower spikes where the rich yellow petals off-set the dark maroon fluffy filaments of the stamens. It is for most people a more garden-worthy species than the great mullein.
 
In the wild it usually grows on dry, lime-rich soils, but flourishes in garden loam, growing up to a metre high. It produces prolific amounts of seed which germinate readily on open soil. It looks well in a meadow setting and
both this and great mullein are ideal for a sunny border.  There are several horticultural varieties of this soecies available, and a number of very impressive non-native Verbascum species as well.
 
Dark mullein supports weevil and moth species in common with great mullein, and also the striking but rare striped lychnis moth Cucullia lychnitis.5.  
 
 
 
 
The distinctive caterpillar of the Mullein moth Cucullia verbasci
 
References
 
1. Pearman, D. (2017). The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland, A compilation of the first records for 1670 species and aggregates, covering Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland. p415
 
2. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. p466 (great)
 
3. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal Edited by Steven Foster (2019) Sterling New York p 163
 
4. Biological Records Office database.
 
5. Biological Records Office database.
 
Page written by Camilla Lambrick, compiled by Steve Head
Striped lychnis moth Cucullia lychnitis. The caterpillar is similar to that of the closely related mullein moth but the spots on the rear of each segment merge into lines, and it lacks the small spots betwen segments.
Mulleins Verbascum species  P4P
 
Family – Scrophulariaceae, Figwort family
Biennial or short lived perennial – up to 2m tall c. 40 cm spread
Flowering – June to October
Soils – Neutral to alkaline
Sun – Full sun or partial shade
 
There are five species of Verbascum in Britain and Ireland of which two are common and can do well in gardens.  Both develop a large spreading rosette of soft hairy leaves in their first year, and grow a tall flower spike in their second. The name “mullein” derives from the French word for “soft”  "Verbascum" is a name used by Theophrastus in the fourth century BCE and by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia of AD 77, and means “with a beard”, presumably from the felted leaves.  Dark mullein was first described by l’Obel in 1571, and great mullein by Turner in 1538.1.
 
 
 
Great mullein Verbascum thapsus 
The great, or common, mullein (above) is a biennial (or a short-lived perennial) and can reach two metres high. It is named V. thapsus after the settlement of Thapsos, near modern Syracuse in Sicily, or after Thapsus an ancient Tunisian city. There are three subspecies and several cultivars and garden hybrids.
 
The leaves are very densely hairy, and this is reflected in some of the common names for this species, such as wooly mullein, Aaron’s flannel, beggar’s blanket, blanket leaf, duffle, velvet dock and cuddy-lugs (ie donkey’s ears).2.
It is much the commonest of the native Verbascum species, and its tall bright yellow flower spikes are very conspicuous in the garden and on wasteland.
 
Great mullein was widely used in herbal medicine especially for ear complaints, and inflammations for the mouth and throat. Culpeper notes its value in toothache, various bowel and bladder complaints, gout and warts.3. 
 
Great mullein is an important food plant for several curculionid weevils, and caterpillars including the mullein moth Cucullia verbasci, the frosted orange moth Gortyna flavago and the death’s-head hawkmoth Acherontia atropos.4. 
 
 
Mulleins Verbascum species  
 
Family – Scrophulariaceae, Figwort family
Biennial or short lived perennial – up to 2m tall c. 40 cm spread
Flowering – June to October
Soils – Neutral to alkaline
Sun – Full sun or partial shade
 
There are five species of Verbascum in Britain and Ireland of which two are common and can do well in gardens.  Both develop a large spreading rosette of soft hairy leaves in their first year, and grow a tall flower spike in their second. The name “mullein” derives from the French word for “soft”  "Verbascum" is a name used by Theophrastus in the fourth century BCE and by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia of AD 77, and means “with a beard”, presumably from the felted leaves.  Dark mullein was first described by l’Obel in 1571, and great mullein by Turner in 1538.1.
 
 
 
The distinctive caterpillar of the Mullein moth Cucullia verbasci
Dark Mullein Verbascum nigrum
This striking biennial (above) has dense flower spikes where the rich yellow petals off-set the dark maroon fluffy filaments of the stamens. It is for most people a more garden-worthy species than the great mullein.
 
In the wild it usually grows on dry, lime-rich soils, but flourishes in garden loam, growing up to a metre high. It produces prolific amounts of seed which germinate readily on open soil. It looks well in a meadow setting and
both this and great mullein are ideal for a sunny border.  There are several horticultural varieties of this soecies available, and a number of very impressive non-native Verbascum species as well.
 
Dark mullein supports weevil and moth species in common with great mullein, and also the striking but rare striped lychnis moth Cucullia lychnitis.5.  
 
 
 
 
Striped lychnis moth Cucullia lychnitis. The caterpillar is similar to that of the closely related mullein moth but the spots on the rear of each segment merge into lines, and it lacks the small spots betwen segments.
 
References
 
1. Pearman, D. (2017). The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland, A compilation of the first records for 1670 species and aggregates, covering Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland. p415
 
2. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. p466 (great)
 
3. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal Edited by Steven Foster (2019) Sterling New York p 163
 
4. Biological Records Office database.
 
5. Biological Records Office database.
 
Page written by Camilla Lambrick, compiled by Steve Head
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