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Common Mullein
Verbascum thapsus
-28.7792, 151.97
Field Notes
Description:
My first encounter with Verbascum thapsus, aka "great mullein", a large, short-lived herbaceous plant. It's a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced into the Americas and Australia. There are quite literally dozens of common names assigned to this species, but one that I like is "wild tobacco", which is a pretty good description because my first impression was that it was a type of tobacco, so my ID search began there. Another name is "cowboy toilet paper", and that gave me a good laugh but I had no intention of image-searching that one! Both reference links provide loads of information regarding this species. In Australia, it is considered a weed. This was the only specimen I found, but it was impressive enough for me to turn the car around and take a closer look. It was actually growing in a roadside ditch. It stood between 3 - 3.5 metres tall and was beginning to fruit and flower. The species is drought tolerant, and although looking a bit dry and tattered, this plant is surviving a drought when even native plants are dying. Everything is so parched!
Habitat:
In Australia, it's a weed of pastures, roadsides, railways, disturbed sites, waste areas, stony river-beds and cultivation in temperate, sub-tropical and sometimes also semi-arid regions. It grows best in dry, sandy or gravelly soils, and the ability to grow in a wide range of habitats has been linked to strong phenotype variation rather than adaptation capacities.
Notes:
Mullein is widely used for herbal remedies, with well-established emollient and astringent properties. Mullein remedies are especially recommended for coughs and related respiratory problems, but also used in topical applications against a variety of skin problems. The plant has also been used to make dyes and torches. https://www.motherearthliving.com/plant-profile/herb-to-know-mullein-ve… PS: In addition to Verbascum thapsus, there are three similar species of mullein that occur in Australia: twiggy mullein (Verbascum virgatum), moth mullein (Verbascum blattaria), and cretan mullein (Verbascum creticum).
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