Common Mullein

Spring may not yet be here, but tell that to the invasive species. Common mullein, Verbascum thapsus, has its fuzzy, leafy rosettes all ready for the growing season. 

Mullein annoys a lot of people because it is an introduced species that colonizes disturbed sites easily.  After one year as a unimpressive rosette, it sends up massive stalks that grow tall and thick and can seemingly take over an entire field.  Red Mountain Open Space still had some of last year's desiccated stalks remaining.  The one in the following photo was taller than me.

Mullein produces yellow flowers on the top of the stalks, the remnants of which were still left at the top of the one in the previous photo.
 

The National Park Service describes the mullein problem:  "Common mullein threatens natural meadows and forest openings, where it adapts easily to a wide variety of site conditions. Once established, it grows more vigorously than many native herbs and shrubs, and its growth can overtake a site in fairly short order. Common mullein is a prolific seeder and its seeds last a very long time in the soil. An established population of common mullein can be extremely difficult to eradicate....It is estimated that a single plant can produce 100,000-180,000 seeds which may remain viable for more than 100 years."  The spread of mullein plants can be seen in the following photo.  Does anyone else think the one on the right looks like it is photo bombing?

Mullein has soft-looking, felt-like leaves, but the hairs covering the leaves can be sharp and irritating.  In other words, as one nature expert I met advised, "Think twice about using mullein leaves as toilet paper.  They're like fiberglass."

I guess that's another reason some people rip out any mullein they see.