Verbascum blattaria L.

White Moth Mullein

Herb

Biennial

Vascular

Moth Mullein is an introduced herbaceous annual or biennial in the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). It is native to Asia, Europe, and northern Africa. Moth Mullen can be found throughout Alabama on roadsides, along railroads, in pastures, in prairies, and in urban lots. It is an annual or biennial from a stout taproot. Stems are erect, 2-3 feet in height, and glabrous. The leaves are petiolate, sub-clasping, basal and cauline (cauline reduced in size upwards), obovate to lanceolate in outline, and glandular pubescent to glabrate. The margins are crenate to dentate or lobed. Flowers are produced in racemes with glandular pubescent pedicels. Individual flowers have 5 green, stipitate glandular sepals. The corolla is rotate with 5 yellow or white lobes. The fruit is a stipitate glandular capsule. The leaves of Moth Mullein have been used as an effective cockroach repellent. The seed of Moth Mullein and other “weedy” species were buried in bottles of sand by Dr. William James Beal, a professor of botany at Michigan Agriculture College in 1879 as part of a long-term study of weeds. In 2000 one of these bottles was unearthed and the seed planted. A 50% germination rate was obtained from the 23 Moth Mullein seed recovered from the bottle.—A. Diamond.

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Not Native FAC (NWPL)

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