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Glite Dictionary
Verbascum blattaria

Verbascum blattaria

9.9
A plant from Europe with smooth leaves and tall yellow or purple flowers that often grows like a weed
  • proper noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : verbasco de la polilla
  • The tall, flowering spikes of Verbascum blattaria are easy to recognize in the summer.

Examples

  • Gardeners sometimes remove Verbascum blattaria because it spreads aggressively.

  • The Verbascum blattaria thrives in disturbed areas.

  • Verbascum blattaria can often be found growing along roadsides and waste places.

  • Is Verbascum blattaria a native plant in Europe?

  • Verbascum blattaria can often be found growing along roadsides and waste places.

  • Gardeners sometimes remove Verbascum blattaria because it spreads aggressively.

  • The tall, flowering spikes of Verbascum blattaria are easy to recognize in the summer.

Synonyms

moth mullein
vsVerbascum blattaria
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall European plant with smooth leaves and yellow or purple flowers often found as a weed in North America

is the scientific Latin name used as the formal species label

Surface Forms

Verbascum blattaria main

Morphology

Verbascum + blattaria

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name: while 'Verbascum' denotes a plant genus, the species epithet 'blattaria' is not a normal English word and is uninterpretable to an average B1 learner. Species names function as arbitrary taxonomic labels rather than compositional phrases, so the meaning 'a species of mullein' cannot be derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Verbascum blattaria comes from Verbascum, the old name for the 'mullein' plant, and blattaria, which may come from the Latin word 'blatta' for a small insect. One popular idea is that its flowers often attract moths and other insects, so the name helps you remember it is a type of mullein often seen with insects.