The mullein moth (Cucullia verbasci) is a noctuid moth with a Palearctic distribution. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

The mullein is a nocturnal moth that can be found in a range of open habitats, particularly in places with chalky soils that have recently been disturbed. Adult moths are brown and easily overlooked whilst resting, as they look just like a piece of dead plant stem.

The yellow, black and white caterpillars of Mullein moths are one of the most distinctive caterpillars found in the British Isles. When fully grown they are almost 50mm in length with a mixture of black and yellow markings on a pale bluey grey/whitish body.

Moth mullein is a native of Eurasia introduced to our continent in the early 1800s. Since then, it has spread across North America. It’s named because the fuzzy flower, with 2 antennalike stamens, looks something like a moth.

Moth Mullein often produces a spike-like raceme of flowers of exceptional length, considering the size of the plant. It has a very different appearance from Verbascum thaspum (Great Mullein), although they are both tall-growing and spike-like.

Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) and Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria) are non-native escaped ornamental biennials that have spread throughout the United States. These plants develop fibrous roots and a deep taproot. Both form a basal rosette in the first growth year and midway through the second season the plants “bolt” producing flower stalks.

Moth mullein is a biennial forb that is native to Europe. The seed is a round capsule about 8.5 mm in diameter. Upon maturity, it splits into 2 cells filled with seeds that are dark brown. The surface of the seeds is marked with many ridges and grooves. The cotyledons are spatula-shaped.

Verbascum blattaria, the moth mullein, [1] is a flowering biennial plant belonging to the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. A native of Eurasia and North Africa, it has naturalized in the United States and most of Canada since its introduction and has become an invasive species there. [2] .

Photos and information about Minnesota flora - Moth Mullein: loose racemes to 2 feet long of 5-petaled, 1-inch yellow or white flowers, 5 hairy reddish-purple stamens with orange tips

A biennial that is closely related to common mullein but lacks hairs and has leaves with toothed margins. Moth mullein is primarily a weed of pastures, hay fields, roadsides, rights-of-ways, and abandoned areas. It is distributed throughout the United States.