Fish food, toilet paper, and self-servicing all in one!

Verbascum thapsus, July 21, 2020

Verbascum thapsus, July 21, 2020

Common & scientific name
Woolly mullein, Verbascum thapsus

Family
Evening primrose, Onograceae

Location
Weller Curve, 9,500

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
I always thought this roadside weed was good for emergency toilet paper and that was about it.  

Alas, the wonderfully rich and detailed USFS Fire Effects Information System taught me otherwise:  “Common mullein was likely introduced to the eastern United States more than 230 years ago. Before the Revolutionary War, common mullein seeds were brought and cultivated by early settlers for the easy collection of fish. . . . 

Given a seed source and a canopy opening, common mullein is a potential inhabitant of nearly any vegetation or community type. . . . 

Self and cross pollination of common mullein flowers are both possible. If by the end of the day an open flower has not been visited by a pollinator, it is self pollinated ("delayed selfing”).”

Cool beans!