Verbascum

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Verbascum in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Verbascum (old Latin name of the mullein used by Pliny). Scrophulariaceae. Mullein. Hardy biennial 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: lvs. all alternate, usually soft, entire, crenulate, sinuate-dentate or pinnatifid: 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-valved.—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 contrasting 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 every border of size. Some of the more showy and satisfactory species are V. olympicum, V. phoeniceum, V. Chaixii, V. nigrum, V. phlomoides, V. 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 V. phoeniceum, do better in partial shade as the flowers do not open well in strong sunlight. V. Caledonia, Hort. (V. hybridum caledonia, Hort.), is a hybrid by some said to have buff fls., by others sulfur-yellow shaded bronze, and by still others rosy drab with a darker center, and by all to be strong-growing and branched.— V. cupreum, Sims (V. phoeniceum var. cupreum, Benth ex W. Mill. V. ovalifolium x V. phoeniceum). Biennial: st. simple: lvs. cordate-ovate, rugose, crenate, lanate beneath: raceme elongated; pedicels rather long, 1-bracted: fls. copper-colored. Garden hybrid. B.M. 1226.—It differs from V. ovalifolium not only in the color of the fls., but also in having pedicelled instead of sessile fls., and 1 subtending bract instead of 3. —V. Libani, Hort., is offered in the trade.—V. newyense, Hort. (V. Chaixii x V. phlomoides), is offered in the trade as having erect spikes of large yellow fls. with dark centers. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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