Verbascum virgatum Stokes, Scrophulariaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: moth mullein, twiggy mullein, virgate mullein, wand mullein

Spanish: mitrún

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Biennial herbs 6-12 (-15) dm tall in the second year, glandular puberulent and hispid throughout, the hairs forked or simple.  Basal leaves obovate, 10-30 cm long, 4.5-9 cm wide, margins crenate to dentate; cauline leaves becoming progressively smaller toward the inflorescence, lanceolate, subsessile and somewhat clasping the stem.  Flowers in clusters of 1-5 per node, forming a racemose inflorescence, pedicels 2-5 mm long; calyx 5.5-8 (-9) mm long, the lobes lanceolate, glandular pubescent; corolla yellow, 15-20 mm long, the lobes pubescent externally; upper 3 staminal filaments densely white or violet villous, the lower 2 violet villous.  Capsules globose, 0.6-0.8 cm long, glandular puberulent and sometimes also with stellate or branched hairs"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1247-1248).

"Herbacée biannuelle, reconnaissable à sa rosette de longues feuilles, sa grande tige d’inflorescence dressée, atteignant 1 à 1,5 m de hauteur et portant de grandes fleurs à la corolle jaune d’or, et à ses fruits secs globuleux (capsules) contenant plusieurs graines" (Meyer, 2008; p. 27).

Habitat/ecology:  "Riverbanks, disturbed sites.  A plant that rapidly colonizes disturbed sites and forms dense patches due to the large rosette leaves.  Native plants are crowded out and their establishment is prevented"  (Weber, 2003; p. 449).

In Hawai‘i, "sparingly naturalized" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1247-1248). In New Caledonia, "ne paraît pas être cultivé à présent; parfois naturalisé, surtout aux îles" (MacKee, 1994; p. 129). In New Zealand, "open disturbed places, roadsides, railway yards, river banks and waste places, up to c. 900 m in the Mt Cook area" (Webb et al., 1988; p. 1205).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m.  Somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter; dry, arid areas, with long drought periods of 6 - 10 months, precipitations of 100 mm-300 mm. are concentrated in winter.  Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Western Europe (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1247-1248).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 10) Not common. Vouchers cited: W.R. Sykes NI 137 (CHR), J. Pickard 2677 (NSW), J. Pickard 3448 (NSW), J.D. McComish 207 (NSW), J.D. McComish 207A (NSW)
Chile (offshore islands) Rapa Nui (Easter) Island	Rapa Nui (Easter) Island (Isla de Pasqua)	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2008) (pp. 26-27, 30) "Nous l’avons observée dans toutes les zones basses de l’île, notamment sur les plages sableuses de Anakena, les sites archéologiques comme à Tongariki ou Hanga Maihiku ou en bordure de falaises maritimes" (Meyer, 2008; p. 27).
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 558)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced	Skottsberg, Carl (1953) (p. 223)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 558)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1247-1248) Vouchers cited: Fagerlund & Mitchell 641 (BISH), Davis 613 (BISH) Sparingly naturalized.
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Lifou	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 129) Voucher cited: MacKee 28203
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Maré	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 129) Vouchers cited: Baumann 14697, Suprin in Veillon 6211
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Îles Ouvéa (Ouvea Atoll)	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 129) Voucher cited: Däniker 2172
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 129) Voucher cited: MacKee 34538
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 129) Voucher cited: MacKee 15788

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Naturalized
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 189)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 1205)

Control:  Control methods for Verbascum thapsus may apply.

"En raison de la faible densité de cette espèce, une lutte manuelle par arrachage des plantules et un traitement chimique par pulvérisation d’herbicide (glyphosate) sur les feuilles en phase de rosette est réalisable" (Meyer, 2008; p. 27).

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.

Additional online information about Verbascum virgatum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Verbascum virgatum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Verbascum virgatum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2008. Rapport de mission d'expertise a Rapa Nui du 02 au 11 Juin 2008: Plan d'action strategique pour lutter contre les plantes introduites envahissantes sur Rapa Nui (Île de pâques) [Strategic action plan to control invasive alien plants on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) [unpublished report]. Délégation à la Recherche, Ministère de l'Education, l'Enseignement supérieur et la Recherche, B.P. 20981 Papeete, Tahiti, Polynésie française. 62 pp. .

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Skottsberg, Carl. 1953. The natural history of Juan Fernandez and Easter Island. Vol. II, Botany. Almqvist &l; Wiksells, Uppsala. 960 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.