Verbascum speciosum [Hungarian Mullein]

[ulf]

Wilhelmson, U. 2021. Verbascum speciosum Schrad. (Scrophulariaceae). Hungarian Mullein. Flowers photographed in visible, ultraviolet light and a combination of both. https://www.ultravio...garian-mullein/

 

Verbascum speciosum Schrad.

NO: Praktkongslys

SE: Praktkungsljus

DK: Kandelaber-Kongelys

DE: Pracht-Königskerze

EN: Hungarian Mullein

 

References:

https://www.luontopo...t/showy-mullein

http://alienplantsbe...ascum-speciosum

https://commons.wiki...ascum_speciosum

 

Comment:

A plant native to eastern Europe and western Asia, Verbascum speciosum is known in many other regions as an introduced species and roadside weed.

 

It is a biennial herb forming a rosette of large leaves and an erect stem well exceeding one meter in maximum height. The leaves are 30 to 40 centimeters long and have smooth edges and pointed tips. The plant blooms in a large panicle with many branches lined with flowers. Each flower has a corolla measuring 2 to 3 centimeters wide with five yellow petals. There are five stamens coated in long white hairs at the center. The fruit is a capsule up to 7 millimeters in length containing many seeds.

 

The Hungarian Mullein is the most common Mullein species in Sweden with branched inflorescence. It is characterized by the fact that all stamens are symmetrically attached and that the two lower stamens also have hair on the stamens.

Source: http://linnaeus.nrm....ba/verbspe.html

 

Plants collected and photographed in the southern parts of Malmö, Sweden, October 2019, just before the first night frost destroyed the last flowers.

 

All the pictures below show flowers from the same individual.

 

Flower at the collection site:

 

Images below by the same camera and light source:

Camera: Canon EOS 60D, EL-Nikkor 80mm f/5.6 old metal type-lens

Light source: two UV-converted Godox AD200 flashes with uncoated Quartz tubes

 

Front of the flower, overviews

Visible light

Filter: Schott BG38, 2mm

 

BUG3-stack image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott BG3, 2mm

 

BUG5-stack image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott UG5, 1.5mm

 

Ultraviolet Image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott UG1, 1mm

 

Front, close-up

BUG3-stack image,

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott BG3, 2mm

 

BUG5-stack image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott UG3, 1.5mm

 

Ultraviolet Image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott UG1, 1mm

 

Rear of the flower

BUG3-stack image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott BG3, 2mm

 

BUG5-stack image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott UG3, 1.5mm

 

Ultraviolet Image

Filter: Schott S8612, 2mm + Schott UG1, 1mm

 

 

 

[Published 3 July 2021].

[Fandyus]

Good post! I wonder if there are yellow plants out there that don't turn out yellow in UV.

[Stefano]

Yes, there are. Some "dandelions" are completely UV-black, for example.

[Fandyus]

Really? I suspect that's not the common species you find growing in the garden.

[Andy Perrin]

That’s the thing – dandelions don’t seem to have species really, if I understand right, it’s more like a continuum of varying genes. So you don’t know what you’ll find in your garden. But I have to say, I haven’t seen any all black ones yet.

 

I definitely have seen some yellow flowers that turned out to be black, though. The plant called butter-and-eggs (yellow toadflax) is like that. Very shiny black.

[ulf]

There are many other that has a low UV-reflectance while being bright yellow in VIS.

 

Two I remember quickly are:

Bird's-foot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus L.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_corniculatus

Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare L.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tansy

Andrea and Birna can for sure list many many more.

[Cadmium]

Ulf, Very interesting plant! :-)

[ulf]

I hope that the formal format is OK.

I used Birna's post for Dark Mullein as a template.

[ulf]

Ulf, Very interesting plant! :-)

Yes I agree.

I had hoped to take better shots of this flower with my Sony A7III and photo stacking, but have private issues that is making it difficult for now to do more complicated setups.

In the future I hope to explore many more flowers that way with bigger magnification.

[colinbm]

Fantastic Ulf especially with all the different lighting.

I hadn't realised the furry bit was so small, when you showed it before.

[ulf]

The front close-ups above are reduced a bit to fit the page size in a proper way. They are not 100% crops

[ulf]

Fantastic Ulf especially with all the different lighting.

I hadn't realised the furry bit was so small, when you showed it before.

Thanks Col.

Maybe I should select one of them and publish a big 100% crop in my gallery.

They are really nice to zoom in on as pictures.

[nfoto]

Good post! I wonder if there are yellow plants out there that don't turn out yellow in UV.

 

In fact, being "UV black" is very common among yellow flowers. There are examples too numerous to list e.g. in diverse families such as Cruciferae (Brassicaceae), Asteraceae, Scrophulariaceae and many others.

[ulf]

That’s the thing – dandelions don’t seem to have species really, if I understand right, it’s more like a continuum of varying genes. So you don’t know what you’ll find in your garden. But I have to say, I haven’t seen any all black ones yet.

 

I definitely have seen some yellow flowers that turned out to be black, though. The plant called butter-and-eggs (yellow toadflax) is like that. Very shiny black.

I think the "Dandelion" Stefano is referring to is some kind of Hawkweed.

 

The Mouse-ear hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum is one of the species in that group that is UV-Black.

https://commons.wiki...o=Go&type=image

 

It is not a Dandelion

[nfoto]

The genus Tragopogon (Salsify, Goat's Beard) contains UV-black species. In one weird example, T. pratensis has two recognised subspecies, ssp. pratensis (nominal race) which is UV-yellow, whilst ssp. minor is UV-black. Except for the size of the flower head and the length of the phyllaries, both subspecies are identical to the naked eye.

 

Andy mentioned butter-and-eggs (yellow toadflax) which is Linaria vulgaris, and it is indeed totally UV-black.

 

Amongst the Crucifera (Brassicaceae), there are many genera containing UV-yellow and UV-black flowers for different species all with visually yellow flowers. Some good examples are seen in Brassica, Erysimum, and Bunias.

[Andrea B.]

That is a wonderful Mullein. Such an interesting structure.

[ulf]

Thank you Andrea,

 

If you see anything wrong with the post's format, please feel free to do any corrections you like.

[Andrea B.]

Only a minor tweak or two. It looks good.