Verbascum nigrum

Verbascum nigrum, the black mullein^[1] or dark mullein,^[2] is a species of biennial or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant in the mullein genus Verbascum, native to dry open sites in temperate Europe. It grows to 0.5–1.5 m (1.6–4.9 ft).

Verbascum nigrum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Genus:	Verbascum
Species:	V. nigrum
Binomial name
Verbascum nigrum L.

Verbascum nigrum forms clumps of leaves from which arise multiple tall stems of yellow flowers with purple stamens, blooming over a long period in summer and early autumn. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant, and prefers a calcareous or neutral soil in full sun.^[2]

Fossil record

A tentative seed identification of V. nigrum has been made from substage II of the Hoxnian interglacial at Clacton in Essex, UK.^[3]