Verbascum boerhavii var. bicolor

(Aarons Rod)

Taxonomy

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - Green Plants
    - Phylum: Magnoliophyta Cronquist, Takhtajan & W. Zimmermann, 1966 - Flowering Plants
      - Subphylum: Spermatophytina (auct.) Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Seed Plants
        Infraphylum: Angiospermae auct.
        Class: Magnoliopsida Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Lamiidae Takhtajan ex Reveal, 1992
        Superorder: Lamianae Takhtajan, 1967
        Order: Scrophulariales Lindley, 1833
        Family: Scrophulariaceae (skrof-yoo-larr-ee-AY-see-ay) Durande, 1782, nom. cons. - Figwort Family
        Subfamily: Scrophularioideae
        Tribe: Verbasceae
        Genus: Verbascum (ver-BASK-um) Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 177. 1753. - Mullein
        Specific epithet: boerhavii
        Variety: bicolor
        Botanical name: Verbascum boerhavii var. bicolor

Physical Description

Family Scrophulariaceae:

Herbs, sometimes shrubs, rarely trees; mostly autotrophic, less often hemiparasitic or parasitic. Stipules absent. Leaves alternate, opposite, whorled, or basally opposite and apically alternate, simple or sometimes pinnately dissected. Inflorescences racemes, spikes, or thyrsoid panicles, determinate or indeterminate, or flowers solitary. Flowers perfect, usually zygomorphic, rarely actinomorphic. Calyx often persistent, (2-) 4- or 5-lobed or -parted, variously connate. Corolla sympetalous; limb (3 or) 4- or 5-lobed, often 2-lipped. Stamens mostly 4, didynamous, sometimes 1 or 2 staminodes present, less often 2 or 5 stamens; anther locules 1 or 2, equal or subequal, free or confluent. Nectary often present at base of ovary, ringlike, cupular, or reduced to a gland. Ovary superior, 2-loculed, rarely apically 1-loculed; ovules numerous, rarely 2 per locule, on axile placentas, anatropous or hemitropous. Style simple; stigma capitate, 2-lobed, or 2-lamellate. Fruit a capsule, septicidal, loculicidal, or septifragal, sometimes opening by pores or irregularly dehiscent, rarely a berry. Seeds minute or rarely conspicuous, sometimes winged; testa often reticulate; hilum lateral or ventral; endosperm fleshy or absent; embryo straight or curved.

About 220 genera and 4500 species: cosmopolitan; 61 genera (seven endemic) and 681 species (415 endemic) throughout China but with a greater concentration in SW China.^[1]

Genus Verbascum:

Herbs, annual, biennial, or perennial. Leaves usually simple, alternate, basally rosulate. Inflorescences terminal, spicate, racemose, or paniculate. Calyx 5-lobed. Corolla usually yellow, rarely purple or white; tube short; limb rotate; lobes 5, subequal, radiate. Stamens 4 or 5; filaments usually woolly; anthers 1-loculed, confluent, anterior anthers linear-oblong or reniform, posterior anthers reniform or transverse. Ovary 2-loculed. Capsule septicidal. Seeds numerous, conically cylindric, 6-8-ribbed.

About 300 species: Asia, Europe; six species in China.^[2]

Flowers: Bloom Period: March, April, May, June, July, August. • Flower Color: dark red, scarlet, yellow

Distribution

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Growth

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Culture: Space 36-48" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 9.0

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Verbascum:

Bibliography

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Tsoong Puchiu & Yang Hanbi, eds. 1979. Scrophulariaceae (1). Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 67(2): 1-431. Tsoong Puchiu, ed. 1963. Scrophulariaceae (2). Fl. Reipulb. Popularis Sin. 68: 1-449.

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Notes

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Contributors:

Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 19, 2007.

Identifiers:

Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 994011

Footnotes:

Deyuan Hong, Hanbi Yang, Cun-li Jin, Manfred A. Fischer, Noel H. Holmgren & Robert R. Mill "Scrophulariaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 18 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
"Verbascum". in Flora of China Vol. 18 Page 4. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

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Last Revised: February 24, 2008