Mullein
Mullein, or Mullen, a genus of hardy herbs, chiefly biennial. There are more than 250 species, native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Three species are naturalized in North America.
Common mullein, also called velvet plant, flannelleaf, and candlewick, is a common weed in American pastures and along roadsides. A woolly thick stalk, two to six feet (60 to 180 cm) tall, rises from large velvety base leaves. Small yellow flowers grow in a spike at the top of the stalk. A rosette of leaves grows from seed the first year; the flowering stalk shoots up the second year. The plant dies after going to seed.
Moth mullein grows about four feet (120 cm) tall. Its leaves are smooth, lobed, and deeply veined. It bears purple-based yellow or white flowers.
White mullein is found in eastern parts of the United States. The plant is covered with a thick powdery down.
Mullein is sometimes grown in wild gardens and as a border plant. The fruit is a two-celled capsule. Plants grow from cuttings, divisions, or seeds.
Common mullein is Verbascum thapsus; moth, V. blattaria; white, V. lychnitis. All are of the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae.