 |
| Moth mullein |
Rain and raindrops just won’t go away this week. Soaked is the operative word. Me, the dogs, the forest, everything.
Some plants around the mountain don’t seem to mind the lack of sun. Others close up tighter than me in my cabin, hiding away from those nasty raindrops and waiting for the sun to reappear.
One of the plants that is blooming despite the weather is the moth mullein, an immigrant that’s only been on these shores for about 300 years. It was first documented in Pennsylvania in 1818 and had reached Michigan by 1840. The flower also comes in a yellow shade, but I’ve never seen that one here. The biennial plant originated in north Africa and Eurasia and was apparently deliberately introduced here with the early settlers, as so many of our wildflowers that like meadow and forest edges seem to be. I wish I could find out more about that 1818 reference. Who brought it over?
The plant is used as an herbal remedy, apparently an effective one, for asthma and other respiratory disorders, so I can imagine some doctor or self-taught medicine person wanting it in what was then an almost non-existent arsenal of things that worked to heal people. Apparently an extract of the flowers is good for ear infections, too. I’m vaguely tempted to try it that way, but I probably won’t.
Posts
7 comments:
Moth Mullein is such a pretty plant. Even a native-plant snob like me is delighted to find it, since it always minds its manners and never becomes invasive, at least not where I live in northern NY,where it seems to be much less common than the Common Mullein, the one with furry leaves. Lovely photo.
Cheer up! The dry cycle is on the way.
Jackie: Thanks! Moth mullein is a rare exception to other non-native plants, isn't it? It's not greedy or grabby about taking over in this area either.
Sam: The dry cycle was here and gone already--hardly counts, in my mind.
Carolyn: I transplanted basil plants (heritage basil that I raised from seed) into two planters on my front porch. During last week's 5-day rainy spell, I watched as one of the clumps gradually drooped--more and more each day--until finally it gave out and collapsed into a soggy mush. Basil likes much drier conditions, and perhaps the soil in one planter didn't drain as well as the other, but now I've just got one clump of basil for the summer.
I don't think I ever knew the name of this one, Carolyn. It's a beauty, though. Thanks for the ID!
I have seen both white and yellow. I think it's really pretty, as are so many aliens. It's not common here, so it hasn't intruded on the natives.
Post a Comment