of the plant for respiratory infections. It was also part of the National Formulary in the United States and United Kingdom. The plant has been used in an attempt to treat colds, croup, sunburn, and other skin irritations. Other uses Roman soldiers are said to have dipped the plant stalks in grease for use as torches. Other cultures use the leaves as wicks. Native Americans and American colonists lined their shoes with leaves from the plant to keep out the cold. Mullein may be cultivated as an ornamental plant. As for many plants, (Pliny the Elder described it in his Naturalis Historia), great mullein was linked to witches, although the relationship remained generally ambiguous, and the plant was also widely held to ward off curses and evil spirits. The seeds contain several compounds (saponins, glycosides, coumarin, rotenone) that are toxic to fish, and have been widely used as piscicide for fishing. Due to its weedy capacities, the plant, unlike other species of the genus (such as V. phoeniceum), is not often cultivated. Notes References Further reading External links Verbascum.org The type specimen of Verbascum thapsus Microphotographies of great mullein Seeds picture from the UBC collection JLindquist.com: webpage with pictures of tall specimens thapsus Flora of Europe Flora of North Africa Flora of temperate Asia Flora of Spain Demulcents Medicinal plants Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Introduced plants of South America Flora naturalised in Australia