VERBASCUM NIGRUM. BLACK OR SAGE-LEAVED
MULLEIN.
V JLIVDrtOVyUiVl 1
VERBASCUM r
a uuuumiu-crcuaiis £ I I I d m .S p .P l .p .iS a . Huds. Ariel, p . 90. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 4 m l 2
p . 247. (Ed. FI. Dan. t. 1088. Hoffm. Germ. ed. 2. ml. l. P . I. p. 108. TVilld.
Sp. PI. ml. lip. 1004. Smith FI. B rit.p . 231. Engl. Bot. t. 59. Decand Fl Fr
ed. 3 ml. 3. p 603. FI. Gall. Syn. p . P e r,. §yn. P i. m i l . p Z M o n
Hort. Kero. ed. 2. ml. 1. p . 385.
VERBASCUM M is imis pedolatis cordalo-lanceolads, superioribus sessilibus ovato-lanceolatis
Hall. M em n. 584.
VERBASCUM nigrum flora parvo, apicibus purpurels. Sage-leaved black Mullein. Baii Syn. p . 288.
W s s U m M B i. Bi- L e B millm-noir. MaUbnc. Germ. Die schwarze
Wollblrcme. Nonv. Zungcslok. Swed. Kattrumpa. .
[Na tu k a i OltEBn. SOLANEiÈ, J uss. Decand.']
G e n . C ha Corolla rotata, irregularis; Stamina dedinata, barbata. Capsula supera, bilocularis, valvulis index
isj polysperma. Stigma simplex.
G e n . Char. Corolla rotate, irregular/ Stamens declinedj bearded. Capsule superior, o f two cells, with thd
valves indexed, many-seeded. Stigma undivided;
R adix subfusiformis, pallide fusca, perennis.
Caulis bi- tri-pedalis, erectus, substriclus, angulatds,
striatus, viridis, vel ex viridi-purpureus, pubescens.
Fo l ia : radicalia magna, oblongo-cordata, obttisa, ve-
nosa, margine undulata, obtuse crenata,,longe
petiolata; cauliua brevitèr petiolata, ovato-cor-
data, vel fere lanceolata, acutiuscula, obtuse
serrata ; suprema, vel bracteæ, sensim minora,
augustiora, non raro subulata, vix serrata, sessi-
lia ; omnia saturate viridia, supra glabriuscula,
subtus margineque pubescentia.
S p ic a terminalis, longa, simplex, multiflora. -
P edun cu l i subfasciculati, ex axillis foliorum superio-
rum vel bractearum.
Calyx pubescens, persistens, quinquefidus, segmentis
lanceplato-subulatis.-
Corolla rotata, quinqueloba, lobis subirre<mlaribus
aureo-flava, basi purpureo-radiata. -
Stamina quinque, aurantiaca. Filamenta filiformia,
■ _ elegantissime purpureo-villosa, villis longis, hori-
zontalibus.
An th era reniformis, monolocularis, bivalvis, transver- I
sim aperiens. Pollen croceum.
G ermen obovatum, emarginatum, pubescens.
Stylus longus, filiformis. Stigma clavatum.
P erica rpium : Capsula ovato-rotundata, nigro-fusca,
pubescens, bilocularis, polysperma, bivalvis. Dis-
sepimentum duplicatum, ex inflexis valvarum
marginibus.
R ecepTaculum centrale, obloqgum, spongiosum, basi
solummodo aifixum.
Semin a parva, subovata, scrobiculata, atro-fusca.
A lbumen semini conforme, camosum, album.
E mbryo rectus. Cotyledones parvte. Radicula infera.
Root somewhat spindle-shaped, pale brown, perennial;
Stem two or three feet in height^ erects nearly straight,
angular, striated, green, or greenish-purple,
Ra dical leaves large, between oblong and heart-
shaped, obtuse, veiny, waved at their margins,
bluntly crenulate, upon long footstalks, the stem-
leaves upon short footstalks, between ovate and
cordate, or somewhat acutely lanceolate, obtusely
serrated; the topmost.ones, or bracteas,
gradually less, more narrow, not unfrequently
subulate, somewhat serrated, sessile ; all of a
deep green, smooth above, downy a t the margin
and beneath. 6
Sp ik e of flowers terminal, long, simple, many-flowered.
P eduncles somewhat fasciculated, springing from the
axils of the superior leaves or bracteas.
Calyx downy, persistent, five-cleft, the segments lan-
ceolato-subulate.
Corolla rotate, five-lobed, the lobes slightly irregular,
of a golden yellow colour, at the base having
purple rays.
Stamens five, orange-coloured. Filaments filiform,
elegantly fringed with purple hairs, the hairs long
and horizontal.
An t h e r kidney-shaped, one-celled, two-valved, open-
mg transversely. Pollen croceous.
Ge rm en obovate, emarginate, downy.
Style long, filiform. Stigma club-shaped.
Pe r ic a r p I Capsule between ovate and round, o f a
blackish-brown, downy, two-celled, many-seeded,
two-valved. Dissepiment double, formed of the
inflexed margins of the valves.
Receptacle central, oblong, spongy, fixed only bv the
base. '
Seeds small, nearly ovate, scrobiculate, blackish brown.
Albumen of the same shape as the seed, fleshy, white.
Embryo straight. Cotyledons small. Radicle inferior.
a-jcw.. .a<0 . \j. ucuircu tui uptu. ^/g. (. / . capsules: and hw 8 SeerR (nnt nvA r> n
sales bursting open. Fig. 10. Single valve of a capsule with the r e c e d e o f the seeds. F i / f i § 2 *
Fig. 12. Seed cut open to show the albumen and embryo.- A l l but Jig. 7 and S more or less magn^ied '
The Genus Verbascum is one of the most showy in Britain: the snerips IPI lorm* .-,,-,.1 1 . I „
»h1ch are usually of a bright yellow colour, a,-c forced l o ^ flSTSre'
which make a most beautiful appearance when backed by the dark green of a slirabberv T„ E ?.ds
lheir 1UXUria"l> “ d ^ raok' moc*e of growth renders th em " ^
a r ^ K S ^ S,SVmtsg ■ «**>*■»■ It is well known how liable are the individuals of this genus to mix with one another wW™ 1
characters of both parents are produced. Dr. Withering mentions a VThapso-nigrum the o ffsDrin/ofF R f t f e
and nigrum. Mr. Borrer has noticed a similar production between V.
has observed a V. nigro-Iajchnitis which he supposes to have arisen h e Z ^ v l i d m m Z T v D m h ^ ; 1 8 ®
Botanist's Guide the same gentleman, further remarks, under the'head o ff" n i g r f ^ Z L t u m that Mr w ™
has cultivated m his garden for many years Verbascum mgrum,pulmrulentum, and Blattaria, and that the semind
and tcauUM “ I>0S5,bfe S“ e ‘“‘^mediate gradation between d im are highly carious
Verbascum is said to be derived from B a r f « , on account of the bearded or rather siraggy surface of the
leaves in most of the species. Our English appellation of Mullein has its origin most clenriH-nm d, ,. v ,
“ i so called from die softness of d,e i s . As to the specific name1 i f 1 ■ ^the dark
coloured foliage of the V. mgrum, when compared with so many of the other British kinds!
f o S p C w a r t t d g r t a S : ' 6 S°4 a"d C0",raUCS fl° wer fram Midsra”'" - *° Michaelmas. It is mostly
Vide Botanist’s Guide, vol. 2. p. 602.