Verbascum blattaria

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Scrophulariaceae
Tribus: Scrophularieae
Genus: Verbascum
Subgenus: V. subg. Verbascum
Sectio: V. sect. Verbascum
Subsectio: V. subsect. Singuliflora
Species: Verbascum blattaria
Name

Verbascum blattaria L., Sp. Pl. 1: 178. 1753.
Synonyms

Homotypic
Blattaria vulgaris Fourr., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n.s., 17: 125. 1869, nom. nov..
Thapsus blattaria (L.) Raf., Fl. Tellur. 4: 89. 1838.
Heterotypic
Verbascum blattaria var. albiflorum G.Don, Gen. Hist. 4: 497. 1838.
Verbascum blattaria f. albiflorum (G.Don) House, New York State Mus. Bull. 243–244: 45- 1923. ("albiflora")
Verbascum blattariiforme Griseb., Arch. Naturgesch. 18(1): 321. 1852. ("blattariforme")
Verbascum blattaria var. brevipedicellatum Halácsy
Verbascum carduifolium Murb. ex Hayek, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih., 30(2): 131. 1929.
Verbascum caucasicum Fisch., Cat. Hort. Gorenk. ed. II: 25. 1812, nom. illeg..
Verbascum claytonii Michx., Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 148. 1803.
Verbascum cordatum Desf., Fl. Atlant. 1: 186. 1798.
Verbascum blattaria var. crenatum Rouy, Fl. Fr. 11: 10. 1909.
Verbascum blattaria f. erubescens Brügger
Verbascum glabrum Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: n.º 8. 1768.
Verbascum blattaria var. glabrum (Mill.) Rchb., Fl. Germ. Excurs.: 380. 1831/1832.
Verbascum blattaria f. glabrum (Mill.) Hayek in Hegi, Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 6(1): 10. 1913.
Verbascum leptophyllum Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 1: 340. 1897.
Verbascum luridum Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 104. 1796.
Verbascum muhlenbeckii Godr., Bon Cult. Nancy. 1846.
Verbascum nitidum Stokes, Bot. Mat. Med. 1: 382. 1812.
Verbascum pseudoblattaria Schleich., Cat. Pl. Helv. ed. IV: 36. 1821, nom. illeg..
Verbascum ramosissimum Lloyd ex Boreau, Mem. Soc. Acad. Maine-et-Loire 22: 12. 1868, nom. illeg..
Verbascum repandum Willd., Enum. Pl.: 226. 1809.
Verbascum blattaria subsp. repandum (Willd.) Arcang., Comp. Fl. Ital.: 504. 1882.
Verbascum rhinanthifolium Davidov, Trav. Soc. Bulg. Sci. Nat. 8: 101. 1915.
Verbascum rubiginosum Diard, Catal. Pl. St-Calais: 151. 1842, nom. illeg. non Waldst. & Kit., Pl. Rar. Hung., 2: 216, pl. 197. 1805.
Verbascum virgatum Spreng., Syst. 1: 621. 1824, nom. illeg..

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Northern Europe
Great Britain (introduced)
Regional: Middle Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic, Slovakia), Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland.
Regional: Southwestern Europe
Corse, France, Sardegna, Spain.
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Sicilia, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia (Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia & Kosovo, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Hercegovina).
Regional: Eastern Europe
Krym, Central European Russia, North European Russia, South European Russia, Ukraine
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia.
Regional: Southern Africa
Cape Provinces (introduced).
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Siberia
Altay.
Regional: Middle Asia
Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Turkmenistan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan.
Regional: Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus (Armenia, Gruziya, Azerbaijan).
Regional: Western Asia
Afghanistan, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Lebanon-Syria, Turkey.
Regional: China
Xinjiang.
Continental: Asia-Tropical
Regional: Indian Subcontinent
East Himalaya (Darjiling), West Himalaya (Jammu-Kashmir).
Continental: Australasia (all introduced)
Regional: Australia
Norfolk Islands (Lord Howe Island), New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria
Continental: Pacific (all introduced)
Regional: North-Central Pacific
Hawaii
Continental: Northern America (all introduced)
Regional: Western Canada
British Columbia
Regional: Eastern Canada
New Brunswick, Ontario, Québec
Regional: Northwestern U.S.A.
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
Regional: North-Central U.S.A.
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Regional: Northeastern U.S.A.
Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia
Regional: Southwestern U.S.A.
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah
Regional: South-Central U.S.A.
New Mexico, Texas
Regional: Southeastern U.S.A.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
Regional: Mexico
Mexico Northeast
Continental: Southern America (all introduced)
Regional: Western South America
Peru
Regional: Southern South America
Argentina Northeast

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 178. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Verbascum blattaria in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Feb 23. Reference page.
The Plant List 2013. Verbascum blattaria in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Feb 23.
Hassler, M. 2020. Verbascum blattaria. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Feb 23. Reference page.
Euro+Med 2006 onwards: Verbascum blattaria in Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Feb 23.
Tela Botanica (ed.) 2000 onwards: Tela Botanica. Le réseau de la botanique francophone. eFlore. Verbascum blattaria. Association Tela Botanica, Montpellier, France. Accessed: 2020 Feb 23.
Tropicos.org 2020. Verbascum blattaria. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Feb 23.
Buttler, K.P., Thieme, M. & co-workers: Florenliste von Deutschland – Gefäßpflanzen. Version 10. Frankfurt am Main, August 2018.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Verbascum blattaria in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
العربية: بوصير قاتم
беларуская: Дзіванна тараканавая
bosanski: Bosanska divizma
català: Blatària
čeština: Divizna švábovitá
Cymraeg: Pannog y gwyfyn
Deutsch: Schaben-Königskerze
English: Moth Mullein
español: Gordolobo
فارسی: گل ماهور مواج
suomi: Perhotulikukka
français: Molène blattaire
hornjoserbsce: Škabrowa dźiwizna
italiano: Verbasco polline
日本語: モウズイカ
Nederlands: Mottenkruid
русский: Коровяк тараканий
slovenčina: Divozel švábový
svenska: Sommarkungsljus
українська: Дивина тарганяча
中文: 毛瓣毛蕊花

Verbascum blattaria, the moth mullein,[1] is a flowering biennial plant belonging to the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. A native of Eurasia and North Africa, it has naturalized in the United States and most of Canada since its introduction and has become an invasive species there.[2] It has been declared a noxious weed by the state of Colorado.[3]

Common name

Verbascum blattaria is more commonly referred to as the moth mullein, so named because of the resemblance of its flower's stamens to a moth’s antennae.[4] This is not to be confused with the more popular and widely known common mullein (V. thapsus), a close relative of V. blattaria.[5]
Description
Capsules

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 with deeply toothed edges and are attached to the stem by short petioles. The rosette can grow to a diameter of 16 inches (41 cm) during this first year, with each individual leaf reaching a length up to 8 inches (20 cm). The mullein forms a fibrous root system with a deep taproot.[6]

In the second year of growth, the stem grows slender and erect, and can reach a height of 1+1⁄2 to 3 feet (1⁄2 to 1 m). This length of stem is commonly referred to as the flowering stem. It usually grows unbranched, and leaves grow alternatively directly off the stem.[7] 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 5 inches (13 cm). Both the leaves of the rosette and the leaves of the flowering stem are dark green in color and glabrous (hairless).[8]

The flowers are produced during the second year of growth on a loose raceme. Each flower is attached individually to the flowering stem by a pedicel. Each pedicel typically reaches a length less than 1 inch (2.5 cm). The flowers of the mullein consist of five petals and five anther-bearing stamens, and each flower can reach a diameter of 1 inch (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.[6] The flowers of the mullein bloom between June and October of the second year.[4]

The moth mullein grows a small, simple fruit that is spherical in shape and has a diameter less than 0.5 inches (13 mm). 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.[6][9]
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.[10] It has since been found in almost every one of the continental United States, as well as in southern Canada and even Hawaii.[3] In the United States, it is found most abundantly along the East Coast.[10]
Distribution of V. blattaria in the US and Canada

Though having a wide range of habitats, Verbascum blattaria is typically found in open fields such as pastures and meadows.[6] It can also be found in open woods. The moth mullein prefers rich soils, but is tolerant of dry, sandy, and even gravelly soils.[6]
Uses

Even in folk medicine, Verbascum blattaria has not been attributed to a wide range of uses.[10] However, a study conducted in 1974 reported that when a number of Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae were exposed to a methanol extract of moth mullein, at least 53% of the larvae were killed.[10] 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.[6]
Viability

In a famous long-term experiment, Dr. William James Beal, 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.[11] The bottles, left uncorked, were buried mouth down (so as not to allow moisture to reach the seeds) in a sandy knoll in 1879.[11] 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.[11] 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.[11]
References

BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
"Verbascum blattaria". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 16 January 2018.
United States Department of Agriculture http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VEBL
Connecticut Botanical Society http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/verbascumblat.html
Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
"Ohio Weedguide". Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Ohio State University. Archived from the original on 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
Beidleman, L.H. and Kozloff, E.N. 2003. Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region. University of California Press, Berkeley.
Hickman, J.C. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.
"The most complete source of Verbascum". The most complete source of Verbascum.
Michigan State University W.J. Beal Botanical Garden
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.