66 



Fig. 24. 



Mullein, or Velvet Dock. 



Verhascwni thapsus, (L). 



The mullein is a weed introduced from Europe, — very common 

 in waste places, road sides, and gravelly or sandy pastures. It is a 

 biennal, with large, long roots, from which spring- a tall and usually 

 unbranched stem, 2 to 6 feet high. Both stem and leaves are densely 

 woolly all over, with branched hairs. The leaves are whitish, thick, 

 and velvety to the touch. The flowers are yellow and arranged on 

 densely crowded elongated spikes. The capsule containing the seeds 

 is about I in. long, and the seeds are small, about 1-20 in. long, six- 

 sided, with irregular ridges running lengthwise between the sides. 

 The color of the seed is dark brown. An average plant produces 

 6,000 seeds. 



Time of flowering, July-September. 

 Time of seeding, August-November. 

 Dispersal — as an impurity in clover and grass seed. 

 Eradication. Spud or cut below the crown ; or dig up the roots 

 when young ; or break up the sod and grow hoed crops. It easily 

 succumbs to cultivation. 



The Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria), is a worse weed than 

 the common mullein, as it infests meadows and bears far more seed. 

 The seed is often found as an impurity in clover and timothy. The 

 plant itself is smooth and slender, from 2-6 feet high, with dentate 

 leaves. The flower is yellow, with brown marks on the back of the 

 pet£|,ls ; and the stamens have violet filaments. The seed is brown, 

 very small, and six-sided. Treat it the same as common mullein. 



In Fig. 24 are shown the seeds of the mulleins — the upper seed 

 is the common mullein, the lower is the moth mullein. 



