Verbascum thapsus

Taxonomy

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Sp. pl. 1:177. 1753

Name verified on 20-May-1992 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 31-Dec-2001

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]

Habit: Forb/herb

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

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America

Native: Portugal - Azores, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan.

Reproduction

Duration: Biennial

Growth

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: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Verbascum:

There are approximately 1,203 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: V. barnadesii valentinum · V. chaixii laxum · V. conocarpum conradiae · V. coromandelianum sinense · V. faurei commixtum · V. giganteum martinezii · V. lagurus stefanovii · V. lychnitis moenchii · V. nigrum abietinum · V. rotundifolium conocarpum · V. rotundifolium ripacurcicum · V. thapsus langei · V. thapsus litigiosum · V. thapsus martinezii · V. virgatum dertosense · V. 'Anglesey Sunshine' · V. 'Annie May' · V. 'Apricot Sunset' · V. 'Arctic Summer' · V. 'Aurora' · V. 'Aztec Gold' · V. 'Banana Custard' (Banana Custard Mullein) · V. 'Bill Bishop' · V. 'Blushing Bride' · V. 'Bold Queen' (Mullein) · V. 'Brookside' · V. 'Broussa' · V. 'Buttercup' · V. 'Butterscotch' · V. 'Caribbean Crush' (Caribbean Crush Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Catherine' · V. 'Charles Harper' · V. 'Charlotte' · V. 'Cherokee' · V. 'Cherry Helen' (Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Chilcombe' · V. 'Claire' · V. 'Clementine' · V. 'Cotswold Beauty' (Mullien) · V. 'Cotswold Cream' (Mullien) · V. 'Cotswold King' (Mullien) · V. 'Cotswold Queen' (Mullien) · V. 'Daisy Alice' · V. 'Dark Eyes' (Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Dark Lady' · V. 'Dark Secret' · V. 'Dijon' · V. 'Dusky Maiden' · V. 'Ebenezer Howard' · V. 'Eleanor's Blush' · V. 'Elektra' · V. 'Ellenbank Jewel' · V. 'Ellenbank Rose' · V. 'Flower of Scotland' · V. 'Fothergills Mixed' · V. 'Foxy' · V. 'Frosted Gold' · V. 'Gainsborough' (Mullien) · V. 'Gold Nugget' · V. 'Golden Bush' · V. 'Golden Wings' · V. 'Helen Johnson' (Helen Johnson Mullein) · V. 'Hiawatha' · V. 'High Noon' · V. 'Hot Gossip' · V. 'Hyde Hall Sunrise' · V. 'Innocence' · V. 'Jackie in Pink' (Jackie in Pink Mullein) · V. 'Jackie In Spots' · V. 'Jackie in Yellow' · V. 'Jackie' (Jackie Mullein) · V. 'Jolly Eyes' · V. 'June Johnson' · V. 'Kalypso' · V. 'Klondike' · V. 'Kynaston' · V. 'Lavender Lass' (Mullein) · V. 'Lemon Queen' · V. 'Letitia' (Letitia Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Megan's Mauve' · V. 'Merlin' · V. 'Monster' · V. 'Moonshadow' · V. 'Mystery Blonde' · V. 'Nimrod' · V. 'Norfolk Dawn' · V. 'Pandora' · V. 'Patricia' · V. 'Petra' · V. 'Phoenix' · V. 'Pink Domino' (Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Pink Glow' · V. 'Pink Ice' · V. 'Pink Kisses' · V.'Pink Petticoat' · V. 'Pink Petticoats' (Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Plum Pudding' · V. 'Plum Smokey' (Ornamental Mullein) · V. 'Primrose Cottage' · V. 'Primrose Path'

Bibliography

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Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 18, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 51 providers.
• Light, Kris. East Tennessee Wildflowers
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 01, 2008)

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:

• Jyväskylä University Museum - The Section of Natural Sciences, Vascular plant collection of Jyvaskyla University Museum
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• Museum of Natural History, Wroclaw University, Museum of Natural History, Wroclaw University, Flora of the StoÅ‚owe Mts.
• Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Vascular Plant Herbarium, Oslo
• Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Vascular Plants, Field notes, Oslo
• Oregon State University, Vascular Plant Collection
• School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, The Deaver Herbarium, Northern Arizona University
• Steiermärkisches Landesmuseum Joanneum - Herbarium GJO, Herbarium GJO
• The Danish Biodiversity Information Facility, Botany registration database by Danish botanists
• The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Bioblitz
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Herbarium of Oskarshamn
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Lund Botanical Museum
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Plants
• Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Environment and Heritage Service - EHS Species Datasets
• University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium
• University of Vienna, Institute for Botany - Herbarium WU, Herbarium WU
• Utah Valley State College
• , Utah Valley State College Herbarium

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 33394
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13747436
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:770183-1
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: VETH
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 62143

Footnotes:

1. 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.
2. "Verbascum". in Flora of China Vol. 18 Page 4. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.