July 3, 2011 - Flower Tower
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

Taller than a star basketball player, the solitary flower stalk of common mullein towers above other wildflowers. It’s no wonder it has been called Aaron’s rod, Jacob’s staff, Jupiter’s staff, shepherd’s club, shepherd’s staff and St. Peter’s staff. Saucer-shaped, yellow flowers attached directly to the stem are blooming now. They must have evoked images of a tall, lit candle resulting in names such as big taper, hag’s taper, hedge-taper, miner’s candle, torches, torchwort and witch’s taper. The large roseate of soft, fuzzy leaves gave rise to other names: flannel plant, velvet plant, wooly mullein, beggar’s flannel, feltwort, flannel leaf and old man’s flannel. Because its leaves stay green throughout the winter mullein has also been called blanket leaf, beggar’s blanket and ice leaf. No matter what you call it, you can’t miss this wildflower that is head and shoulders above all others.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.