THE MULLEIN, 59 



MULLEIN, HIGHTAPER, TORCH - BLADE, 

 WOOL-BLADE, GRACE OF GOD, BUL- 

 LOCK'S LUNG-WORT, ST. PETER'S STAFF. 



Verbdscum. 



Welsh, Pannog. French, Bouillon blanc, Molne. German, 

 Wollkraut, Wollblume, Himmelbrand, Konigskerze, Oster- 

 kerze. Dutch, Wollekruid. Swedish, Kongsljus. Danish, 

 Kongelys. Russian, Zaarsku-skipetr. Italian, Tassobar- 

 basso. Spanish, Gordolobo. Portuguese, Verbasco branco. 



LINKEAN. NATURAL. 



Pentandria. Solanece. 



Mo nogynia. Scrophularinece. 



THE botanical name of this stately and magnificent 

 genus of plants is a corruption of the word barbas- 

 cum, or bearded, and alludes to the dense and wool- 

 like hairs with which the leaves of many of the 

 species are clothed: a peculiarity also referred to 

 in the French boulton blanc, which may signify a 

 white froth or foam. A somewhat similar mean- 

 ing is expressed in the names by which the plant is 

 known throughout the greater part of Europe. 



Its downy covering, which is still collected for 

 tinder, was formerly employed for making the wicks 

 of tapers, on which account the plant is known in 

 some parts of England as " candle-wick plant/' 

 These tapers, probably on account of the trouble 

 and labour of collecting sufficient material for the 



