Mullein seeds. Verbascum thapsus, also known as woolly mullein, the great mullein,common mullein,Aaron se Staf (Afr) or Aaron’s Rod (Eng), is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia.
It is a hairy biennial plant that can grow to 2 m tall or more and has a deep tap root. Its small, yellow flowers are densely grouped on a tall stem, which grows from a large rosette of leaves. It grows in a wide variety of habitats, but prefers well-lit, disturbed soils, where it can appear soon after the ground receives light.
Mullein Medicinal Benefits
Mullein tea is a traditional treatment for respiratory problems, such as chest colds, bronchitis and asthma. Both the leaves and flowers contain mucilage, which is soothing to irritated membranes, and saponins, which make coughs more productive.
- Herb for respiratory complaints
- Bitter, cooling – soothes and lubricates tissues and promotes healing
- Diuretic, analgesic, expectorant, antiseptic
- Internally used in the treatment of Coughs, whooping cough, bronchitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, tracheitis, asthma, influenza, respiratory catarrh, tuberculosis, urinary tract infection, insomnia, nervous tension
- Externally used in the treatment of Ear ache, sores, wounds, boils, rheumatic pain, hemorrhoids and chilblain
Growing Mullein
- Sow Mullein seeds direct in early autumn.
- Sow thinly into prepared soil.
- Once germinated thin to 45cm spacing.
- Can also be sown indoors.
- Surface sow into deep pots filled with moist well-drained seed comarticle.
- Allow 3cm between seeds.
- Just cover the seeds with a fine layer of soil or vermiculite.
- Keep moist.
- Germination takes place at 15-18°C and takes 2-4 weeks.
- After germination reduce moisture allowing soil to dry out a little.
- When large enough to handle transplant into pots or outdoors.
- Prefers full sun in a moist well-drained soil.
- Offer mulch protection during winter.
- Fertilise if desired, but this may cause leaf growth at the expense of flower growth. Will self-seed freely.
- In the first year plants are low-growing rosettes of felt-like leaves. The whorl of leaves emerge from the root crown at the soil surface.
- The bluish gray-green, oblong to lanceolate leaves are densely covered in hairs.
- In the second year plants produce a flower stalk 5-10 feet tall. They bloom a few at a time throughout the summer, maturing on the stalk from the bottom to the top in successive spirals.
- Each individual flower opens before dawn and closes by mid-afternoon. The flowers attract a wide variety of insects – bees, flies, butterflies and other insects, but only short- and long-tongued bees are effective in cross‑pollination.
- Flowers are also autogamous, so self-pollination occurs at the end of the day if the flowers were not cross‑pollinated.
- After flowering the entire plant dies — there is no vegetative reproduction.
