1910 VEEBASCUM 



smaller than in V. phlomoides. The plant has the dis- 

 advantage of being sensitive to wetness, its soft, 

 woolly Ivs. damping off in wet situations over winter. 



v. phlomoides, though less popular than the preced- 

 ing, is probably the best of all the yellow-fld. species. 

 It has the advantage over 

 y. OlDmpicum of being a 

 true biennial of easier cul- 

 ture with larger fls. and a 

 longer season of bloom, 8- 

 , ^ 10 weeks, and even then if 



k/ . cut half way down it will 



\ throw out lateral bloom in 



late autumn. 



Generic description: bien- 

 nial herbs, rarely perennial 

 or suffruticose, more or less 

 woolly: racemes or spikes 

 terminal, simple or 

 branched : pedicels clustered 

 or solitary: calyx 5-cut or 

 5 -parted; corolla with al- 

 , ^M* /' most no tube, rotate, rarely 



/ oLf^ concave, with 5 broad lobes; 



st^^S' KL^-^=^ stamens 5, affixed at base 



of corolla ; style entire : 

 ovules numerous: capsule 

 "vj]'--*-,^ - -^ globoseovoid or oblong. DC. 

 kT^'ito-rf.ni >„^ Prod., vol. 10. Boissier 



Flora Orientalis, vol. 4. Gar- 

 den 27, p. 172 ; 41, p. 551. 

 American trade names are : 

 r. Chaixii, nigrum, Olijm- 

 2648. Verbascum Thapsus, pictim, pannosiim, plilomo- 

 the common mullein. ides, phwniceum. 



INDEX. 

 album, 13. Liiincei, 1. pyramidatum, 15. 



Blattaria, 9. longifolium. 4. rubiginosum. 16. 



blattarioides, 8. Lychnitis, 18. Schraderi, 1. 



Boerhaavii, 11. macrunim, 2. semi-lanatum, 19. 



canescens, 1. nigrum, 13. sinuatum, 14. 



Chaixii, 19. niveum, 10. tliapsiforme, 2. 



collinum, 1. Olympicum, 17. Thapso-floccosum, I. 



crassifolium, 5. orienta,le,\9. Thapso-iiigrum, i. 



cnpreum, 12. ovalifclium, 7. thapsoides, 1. 



densiflorum, 6. longifolium. 4. Thapsus, 1. 



ferrugineum, 12, 16. pallidum. ]. vemate. 13, 19. 



Freynianum, 19. pannosum, 4. virgatum, 8. 



glabruin, 8. phlomoides. 3. viscidulum, 8. 



Lamotei, 1. phoeniceum, 12. 



A. Anthers of the longer stamens ad- * 

 nate-decurrent. Section I. 

 Thapsus. 

 B. Fls. clustered. (Group 1. Eu- 

 tkapsus.) 

 c. Anthers short-decurrent : co- 

 rolla concave at the throat. 1. Thapsus 

 cc. Anthers longer adnate-decur- 

 rent: corolla flattened out. 

 D. The fls. scarcely pediceled . 



E. Stem-lvs. long-decurrent. 2. tliapsiforme 

 EE. Stem-lvs. short-decurrent. 3. phlomoides 

 DD. The fls. spicate, pedicels 

 sometimes as long as or 

 longer than the calyx. 



E. livs. very long 4. longiiolium 



EE, Zi's. moderately long. 



F. Filaments glabrous... 5. crassifolium 

 FF. Filaments white- 

 woolly C. densiflorum 



BB. Fls. solitary or nearly so. 



c. Plants woolly. ( Groiip Z. 



Spectabiles.) 7. ovalifclium 



cc. Plants glabrous. [Group S. 

 Blattaria.) 



D. Pedicels inH'sorS's 8. virgatum 



DD. Pedicels solitary 1). Blattaria 



AA, Anthers all kidney-shaped and of 

 about equal size. Section II, 

 Lychnitis. 

 B, Hacemes simple, or slightly 

 branched. 

 c. Calyx rather large. 

 D. Teeth of calyx ovate 



VERBASCUM 



DD. Teeth of calyx liiieiir-hni- 



ceolate 11. Boerhaavii 



CO. Calyx small. 



D. Fls. purple 12. phoeniceum 



DD. Fls. yellow Ki. nigrum 



BB. Hacemes branched or pani- 

 cled. 

 c. Clusters of fls. finally remote. U. sinuatum 

 cc. Clusters of fls. near together. 

 D, Pedicels rarely as long as 



calyx 15, pyramidatum 



DD. Pedicels as long as calyx 

 or longer. 

 E. Plant green and nearly 



glabrous 16. rubiginosum 



EE. Plants more or less 



tvoolly. 



F, Filaments w h ite- 



woolly. 



a. Tomentiim fleecy: 



Ivs. tomentose on 



both sides 17. Olympicum 



GG. Tomentum mealy : 



Ivs. greenish above.iS. Lychnitis 

 FF. Filaments purple- 

 woolly 19. Chaixii 



1. Th&psus, Linn, Common Mullein. Fig, 2648. 

 Familiar weed in woods and in uncultivated fields, 2-6 

 ft. high, densely woolly, with large oblong root-lvs. and 

 long racemes of yellow flowers. Eu., Orient, Hima- 

 layas. B.B. 3:143. Gn. 28, p. 148. -Natural varieties 

 have been observed with pale yellow and white fls, and 

 hybrids with V. sinuatum, Lychnitis, nigrum, etc. 

 Other variations are: Inflorescence demse or lax, simple 

 or branched: fls. large or small: wool dense or loose: 

 filaments glabrous or pilose. The following European 

 trade names are said to be referable to this species: 



\'. canescens, Linnmi. pallidum, Schraderi, and ttap- 

 soides, all nearly synonymous; V. collinum, Lamottei, 

 Thapso-floccosum and var. Gordoni, Thapso-nigrum. 



2. thapsif6nne, Schrad. European species with yel- 

 lowish tomentum and narrowly decurrent stem-lvs, 

 Var. macrilrum, Benth. ( 1'. macritriim, Ten.), has 

 white tomentum and more widely decurrent leaves. 



3. phlomoides, Linn. A clasping-lvd. species valued 

 for its long season of bloom. It has clustered fls. with 

 pedicels shorter than calyx. Naturalized in Mass, Gn, 

 40, p, 561; 41, p. 555. 



4. longifftlium. Ten. ( F. pannbsum. Vis. & Pane). 

 Italian species known by its very long root-lvs., long 

 interrupted racemes which are somewhat branched, the 

 lower clusters of fls. spicate. 



5. crassifdlium, Hoffm. & Link. Spanish plant, with 

 long-decurrent Ivs., spicate raceme, clustered Ivs., flat- 

 tened corolla and glabrous filaments. — One of the few 

 species that thrives in a light, sandy soil. 



6. densifldrum, Bertol. Italian mountain species 

 known by its decidedly yellow wool and long dense 

 racemes. 



7. ovalifdlium, Sims. Showy Caucasian species with 

 fls. l}4 in. across. Distinguished by its oval, white- 

 woolly Ivs, and solitary, sessile flowers. B.M. 1037. 

 B.R. 7:558 (as V. formosum). 



8. virgatum, With. [T. blattarioides. Lam.). This 

 and the next are two of the very few Verbascums that are 

 green throughout. V. glAbrum, Willd., and V. viscldu- 

 lidii, Pers., represents its glabrous and sticky-pilose 

 variations. Cosmopolitan, 



!). Blattaria, Linn. Moth Mullein. Blattaria is from 

 hUtltii, cockroach, which the plant is said to repel. 

 Plant is frequented by moths, whence popular name. 

 Native of Europe and N. Asia; naturalized in America. 

 One of the few green-leaved Verbascums, distinguished 

 from ('. virgatum by solitary pedicels. Fls. rarely white. 



10. niveum, Ten. Imperfectly known Italian species 

 with white wool, very dense raceme of solitary, sub- 

 sessile fls. and a 5-parted woolly calyx having ovate 

 lobes. 



