Verbascum virgatum

Wand mullein

Family: Scrophulariaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Wand mullein is a naturalized annual found in northern coastal ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, southern coastal ranges, and southwestern California in streambanks, roadsides, disturbed grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland at elevations of 5 to 1,555 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces bright yellow flowers 25 millimeters wide in open, glandular racemes with flowers clustered 1 to 4 per node. Growing 60 to 120 centimeters tall with stems branched just below the flowering structure, it has a distinctively bristly appearance with branched hairs. Its leaves range from basal obovate leaves 10 to 30 centimeters long with crenate edges to upper cauline leaves 7 to 15 centimeters long, lanceolate and cordate. The fruit is spherical, 7 to 8 millimeters long, and covered in glandular pubescence.

Habitat: Streambanks, roadsides, disturbed grassland, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodland

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 5-1555 m

Bioregions: NCoRO, SNF, SnJV, SnFrB, SCoRO, SW (exc ChI, SnJt)

California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Butte, Orange, Fresno, San Diego, Riverside, Sonoma, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Calaveras, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Tehama, Humboldt, San Mateo, Lassen, Yuba, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Napa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.