VERATRUM 



VERBASCUM 



3441 



B.B. 1:408. B.M. 1096 (as Helonias viride). Gn. 62, 



P. 2s3. 



calif ornicum, Durand. St. very stout, 3-7 ft. high: 

 Ivs. ovate-acute, the upper ones lanceolate but rarely 

 acuminate: perianth-segms. broader than in V. riride, 

 obtuse, whitish with a greener base. Colo, and Wyo. to 

 K. CaUf. and Ore. G.C. III. 46:395. Gn. 62. p. 411 

 Intro. 1883. The long panicle of whitish, bell-shaped, 

 drooping fls. is followed by ornamental frs. or caps. 



AA. Fls. blackish purple. 



nigrum, Linn. A hardy perennial often 2-4 ft. high, 

 somewhat bulbous at the base: lower Ivs. oblong, pli- 

 cate, 1 ft. long, 6-8 in. wide, narrowed at the base; 

 upper Ivs. lanceolate: panicle narrow: fls. blackish 

 purple: segms. oblong, obtuse. June. Eu., Asia. B.M. 

 963. G.W. 2. p. 99; 14, p. 618. p. TRACY HUBBABD.! 



VERBASCUM (old Latin name of the mullein used 

 by Pliny). Scrophulariacese. MULLEIN. Hardy bien- 

 nial herbs, rarely perennial or subshrubs, more or less 

 tomentose or floccose-lanate, sometimes grown in the 

 garden or border for ornament. 



Plants usually erect and tall: Ivs. all alternate, 

 usually soft, entire, crenulate, sinuate-dentate or pin- 

 natifid: racemes or spikes terminal, simple or branched: 

 fls. yellow, fuscous, purple or red, rarely white; calyx 

 deeply 5-cleft or parted, rarely shortly 5-toothed; 

 corolla-tube about none, explanate-rotate, lobes 5, 

 broad, slightly unequal; stamens 5: caps, globose, 

 oblong or ovoid, septicidally 2-valyed. About 270 

 species, natives mostly of the Medit. region, widely 

 intro. in other countries. Prop, by means of cuttings 

 or division, although most of the mulleins usually self- 

 sow freely. 



The mulleins are very easily cultivated, adapting 

 themselves to almost any soil except a wet cold one. 

 In America the name mullein calls to mind the common 

 weed, V. Thapsus, but this same weed if massed in the 

 wild border is a very showy plant and gives a tall 

 columnar effect which is very pleasing when contrast- 

 ing with looser, more open-growing plants such as 

 larkspur, wild asters, and goldenrods. Another feature 

 of the mulleins which makes them valuable in border 

 planting is the generally predominating gray-green of 

 the foliage, in fact of the whole plant, which contrasts 

 with the bright or dark green foliage about it. The 

 most serious drawback to the mulleins in general is that 

 most of them are biennial and although they reproduce 

 naturally and freely they hybridize so readily that they 

 rarely reproduce true. However, most of the hybrids 

 are as showy as their parents and as a whole they 

 deserve a place in even.- border of size. Some of the 

 more showy and satisfactory species are V. olympicum, 

 Y. phaniceum, V. Chaixii, V. nigrum, V. phlomoides, 

 Y . pannosum, and V. cupreum, although many others 

 are almost equally as good. In choosing varieties the 

 question of height should be taken into account, as 

 some species grow much taller than others. Nearly all 

 the species will stand any amount of sun although some 

 of them, as Y. ph&niceum, do better in partial shade as 

 the flowers do not open well in strong sunlight. 



pyramidale, 19. 

 pyramidatuni. 16. 

 rubiginoeum, 25. 

 Scftraderi, 1. 

 stmi-lanatum, 18. 

 simplex, 13. 

 sinuatum, 15. 

 songaricum, 22 

 thapsiforme, 2. 

 Thapsus, 1. 

 virgatum, 8. 

 riscidulum, 8. 

 Wiedemannianum, 7. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Anthers of the lower and longer sta- 

 mens adnate-decurrent. (Section I. 

 Thapsus.) 

 B. Fls. clustered. (Subsection /. 



Euthapsi.) 

 c. Anthers very short-decurrent: 



corolla concave at the throat 1. Thapsus 



cc. Anthers longer adnate-decurrent: 



corolla flattened out. 

 D. The fls. subsessile. 



E. Cauline Its. long-decurrent . . . 2. thapsiforme 

 EE. Cauline Its. short-decurrent . . 3. phlomoides 

 DD. The fls. pediceUed, pedicels 

 about as long as or longer than 

 the calyx. 



E. Lrs. l]^-2 ft. long 4. longifolium 



EE. Lts. 68 in. long 5. crassifolium 



BB. Fls. solitary or nearly so. 



c. Plants wooUy. (Subsection B. 

 Spectabiles.) 



D. Corolla yellow 6. ovalifolium 



DD. Corolla bluish or purplish 7. Wiedeman- 



cc. Plants glabrous or glandular- [nianum 



pilose above. (Subsection S. 

 Blattaria.) 



D. Pedicels in 2's or S's 8. virgatum 



DD. Pedicels solitary 9. Blattaria 



AA. Anthers all kidney-shaped and of about 



equal size. (Section II. Lychnitis.) 



B. Parts of the infl. as well as the rest of 



the plant woolly. 

 c. Pedicels shorter than the calyx or 



nearly wanting. 



D. Infl. simple or few-branched. 

 (Subsection 1 . Thapsoidea). 



E. Fls. solitary 10. niveum 



EE. Fls. in clusters. 



F. Filaments violet-bearded.... 11. Boerhaavii 

 FF. Filaments yellowish or 



white-bearded. 

 G. Base of blade cordate- 



subauriculate 12. glomeratum 



GG. Base of blade attenuate. 13. simplex 

 DD. Infl. many-branched. 



E. Fls. clustered; calyx deeply 

 o-parted. (Subsection 9. 

 Glomerata.) 



F. Filaments white-bearded. . . 14. mucronatum 

 FT. Filaments purple-bearded. ..15. sinuatum 

 EE Fls. solitary or in few-fld. 

 clusters; calyx 5-toothed. 

 (Subsections. Pyramidata.)lQ. pyramidatum 

 cc. Pedicels as long as or longer than 

 the calyx. (Subsection 4- Lych- 

 nitidea.) 



D. Beards of the filaments purple 

 (sometimes white in No. 19). 



E. Infl. simple or nearly so 17. nigrum 



EE. Infl. many-branched. 



F. Corolla-lobes nearly rotund. 18 Chaixii 



FF. Corolla-lobes obovate 19. pyramidale 



DD. Beards of the filaments white 



(often purple in A T o. 19). 

 E. Upper surface of If. glabrous . 20. Lychnitis 

 EE. Upper as well as lower sur- 

 face of If. tomentose. 



F. Margins of Ivs. crenate 19. pyramidale 



FF. Margins of Ivs. entire or 



nearly so. 



Q. Lvs. oblong or elliptic, 

 broader toward the 



middle 21. pulverulen- 



OG. Lvs. more or less lanceo- [turn 



late, broader toward the 

 base. 



H. Calyx-segms. lanceo- 

 late 22. songaricum 



BB. Calyx-segms. narrow- 

 ly linear-lanceolate . .23. olympicum 

 BB. Parts of the infl. glabrous or nearly 



so, the rest of the plant woolly. 

 C. Corolla glabrous: fls. clustered. 



(Subsection 5. Leiantha.) 24. leianthum 



