Mullein, Flannelleaf, Flannelplant.

It owes its name to its tall, candle-like flower spike, densely covered with golden-yellow blossoms – its dried stems were even used as torches in the past.

There are several varieties; the Great Mullein can grow up to 2 meters tall and bears particularly large flowers. With its far-reaching, candle-like stem, richly adorned with golden-yellow blossoms, the mullein truly lives up to its name. Its woolly, hairy leaves, which grow in a rosette at the base and along the stem, are typical. The yellow flowers appear in long, dense racemes from July to September.

The mullein is generally a biennial. In its first year, it forms a low-lying rosette of leaves. Only in the second year does the tall flowering stem with its characteristic yellow blossoms develop; after seed formation, the plant dies.

The mullein was and still is also called "Mary's Candle" and is considered a symbol of the Virgin Mary – as an emblem of her blessing scepter. It is also part of the traditional herb bundle, a bouquet of various medicinal herbs, ears of grain, and blossoms, which is tied and blessed on the Feast of the Assumption (August 15). It symbolically represents protection, health, and blessings for home and farm. Typical components, besides the often centrally placed mullein, include St. John's wort, yarrow, wormwood, mugwort, tansy, and chamomile.

mullein is also part of the traditional herb bundle, a bouquet of various medicinal herbs, ears of grain, and blossoms, which is tied and blessed on the Feast of the Assumption (August 15). It symbolically represents protection, health, and blessings for house and farm.