Moth mullein

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Moth mullein

Moth mullein

Moth mullein yellow flower

Moth mullein

Moth mullein

Moth mullein leaves

Moth mullein

Moth mullein

Moth mullein

Moth mullein

Moth mullein

Morphology

Stem

Erect, slender, usually simple, occasionally branched, glabrous below, glandular-hairy above.

Leaves

First year in basal rosette, short-stalked, oblong, 2 to 8 inches long, .5 to 1.25 inch wide, conspicuously veined; margins toothed or lobed; tips pointed; second year stem leaves alternate, simple, clasping, lanceolate, .5 to 2.5 inches long, glabrous; margins toothed; upper leaves reduced in size.

Inflorescence

Racemes, elongate, 1 to 2 feet long, loosely flowered, terminal.

Flower

Calyces deeply 5-parted, segments lanceolate, equal; corollas about 1 inch across, 5-lobed, white or yellow; stamens 5, filaments hairy, reddish violet.

Fruit

Capsules, spherical, about 1/3 inch long, 2-celled, finely glandular-hairy; seeds numerous, tiny, dark brown.

Ecology

Habitat

Disturbed sites, waste areas, overgrazed pastures, and roadsides, most abundant in dry gravelly soils.

Distribution

Principally east 1/2 of Kansas.

Additional Notes