A biennial plant with large (about 12 inches long) leaves having gray hairs on both sides. The first year it forms a rosette of leaves and in the second year produces tall (3 to 5 feet) flowering stem. The yellow flowers are crowded on a spike. Leaf extracts mixed with wild cherry root have been used for help with arthritis.
![Photo of Common Mullein, second year growth](images/large/mullein1-full.jpg)
Photo by Dr. John Meade, weed scientist emeritus
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
![Photo of Common Mullein, first year growth](images/large/mullein2-full.jpg)
Photo by Dr. John Meade, weed scientist emeritus
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension