Verbascum densiflorum

Scientific description

Phylum: Angiospermatophyta (Magnoliophyta)
Class: Dicotyledonatae (Magnoliatae)
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Solanales (Scrophulariales)
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Common name: Mullein, Great Mullein
Origin: European.

Description:
Biennial herbaceous plant, abundantly hairy with long, branching gray or yellowish-gray hairs, 50–100 cm tall. Taprooted and branched root. Stem tall, hairy. Basal leaves elongated-elliptic, petiolate in rosette; stem leaves ovate, short-petiolate or sessile, alternate, hairy. Flowers in long raceme, each with lanceolate bract. Long calyx, yellow corolla, androecium of unequal stamens (2 long anterior, 3 short posterior), bicarpellate gynoecium. Terminal elongated inflorescences. Fruit capsule.

Propagation: Seeds.

Ecology: Common from plain to hill areas, meadows, shrubs, uncultivated land. Prefers sunny, very dry xerophytic soils.

Uses: Traditional medicine: flower petals containing saponins, mucilages, sucrose, glucose, mineral salts, used in decoctions or infusions to calm bronchitis and intestinal issues. Expectorant, anticatarrhal, diaphoretic, diuretic, analgesic.

Hazard: Plant hairs may cause skin and eye inflammation.

Creative writing inspired by Verbascum densiflorum

Written by Matei Riana-Alexandra

The Flower That Lights the Way

In a world where night and day were constantly battling to face each other, there was a plant with yellow flowers that brought light even into the darkest corners of the forests. This plant is mullein. It is said that on a dark summer evening, an old witch, known for her wisdom, found a flame that had extinguished in the middle of the forest. Believing it was her last chance to keep light in the world, she wrapped the dying flame in verbascum leaves and began an ancient ritual. After several hours, the fire rose from the ashes, leaving behind a magnificent plant with yellow flowers and a magical power to bring light in the dark.

Since then, it is said that mullein not only illuminates the dark forests, but also brings protection to those who wear it. People who grow verbascum in their gardens or near their doorstep are protected from evil spirits and find their way even in the hardest times. It is also said that, when someone is lost in the forest at night, a faint light shining through the verbascum leaves will guide their steps back home.

This plant represents not only light but also divine protection, and each yellow flower is a fragment of the fire that once lit the forests and brought them to life.

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Authentic Specimen