Verbascum pulverulentum
Verbascum pulverulentum | |
Light: | |
Moisture: | |
Hardiness: | 3 |
Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
Self Pollinated | |
Life Cycle: | Biennial |
Height: | 6' |
Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
Native to: | |
Medicinal Rating: | |
Tea: | Yes |
Verbascum pulverulentum (common name: hoary mullein)
Propagation: Seed - sow late spring to early summer in a cold frame and only just cover the seed[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and plant them out in late summer. The seed has a long viability[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most well-drained soils, including dry ones, and prefers a sunny position[1]. Dislikes shade and wet soils[1]. Thrives on chalk[1]. Prefers a light soil[1].
Hybridizes with other members of this genus, though the progeny are usually sterile[1].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from the Netherlands south and east to Spain, Switzerland, Greece.
Habitat: A rare native along roadsides in Norfolk and Suffolk, a rare casual elsewhere[2].
Medicinal: The plant (seeds?) are used to rid the body of tapeworms[3].
Pollinators: Flies, lepidoptera, self
Habit: Biennial
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The leaves contain rotenone and coumarin, though the quantities are not given[4]. Rotenone is used as an insecticide and coumarin can prevent the blood from clotting[K].
Hairs on the leaves can act as an irritant[4].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.