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Scrophulariaceae
Purple Mullein
Verbascum phoeniceum
Courage and good health.
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Genus
- Verbascum
- Native to
- Southern Europe, Central Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- perennial
- Height
- 2-4 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, average to poor
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- short-lived perennial
Did you know
- Unlike the common mullein's woolly leaves, purple mullein has smooth, dark green foliage in a low rosette.
- It freely self-seeds and hybridizes with other mullein species, producing unexpected color variations in the garden.
- Ancient Romans dipped mullein stalks in tallow to make torches, earning the plant the nickname 'candlewick plant.'
- The species name 'phoeniceum' means purple or crimson, distinguishing it from the typically yellow-flowered mulleins.
- Each individual flower lasts only one day, but the tall spikes produce blooms successively over many weeks.
Color meanings
0
courage
1
protection
2
good health