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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Verbascum thapsus

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 177 (1753) subsp. thapsus.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Great mullein, Aarons rod.

Description:
Stout erect biennial to over 2 m high, covered by soft velvety dense eglandular-stellate tomentum; leaves entire or finely crenulate, the lower ones 8-50 x 2.5-14 cm, with the blade obovate-elliptic to elliptic, tapering into a petiole, higher up sessile with the base decurrent along the stem.

Inflorescence a dense terminal spike 15-30 cm or more long, with flowers in clusters within each bract, the bracts ovate to lanceolate, 12-18 mm long, acuminate; pedicels short, decurrent along the rhachis; sepals narrow-ovate, 5-12 mm long; corolla small, 12-(in Europe) 20 rarely 35 mm diam., pale-yellow; stamens 5, more or less equal in length, c. 4-5 mm long in mature bud, with anthers reniform, the lower pair of filaments (in subsp. thapsus and all S. Aust. specimens) glabrous, the upper 3 villous.

Capsule broad-ovoid, 7-10 mm long.

Published illustration: Ross-Craig (1966) Drawings Brit. Pl. 22:t. 1; Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 600.

Distribution:    W.Aust.; Qld; N.S.W.; Vic.; Tas.   Native to Eurasia.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: recorded Jan — March.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available


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