Verbascum thapsis, an alien if there ever was one, is in the same family
as penstemon, Scrophulariaceae.. It can make a real mess out of a road
bank or a meadow, but fortunately, is pretty easy to control. It's a
two-year annual, putting out a basal rosette the first year, and a
flower stalk the next. Use of a shovel makes it easy to dig it up.
If you are cutting dried mullein, hold the stalk upright. It is like a
pepper shaker which will happily dump its seeeds if inverted. And, of
course, bag the flower and seed heads.
This plant is medicinal. My opinion is that if it is to be used for
medicinal purposes, it should be grown under controlled circumstances so
it doesn't escape. It does not belong in our mountain/footill environement.
Best,
J
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