Surface

Verbascum thapsus covers its leaves and stems in a dense layer of branched, stellate hairs that interrupt surface wind and reduce evaporative water loss at the leaf boundary. For Study 001, the hairs were removed prior to capture, exposing the epidermal surface beneath the indumentum. The captured surface records an irregular polygonal cell field organised within a pinnate venation network.

Habitat

Native from the Azores and Europe to Siberia and the Himalaya, Verbascum thapsus is widely naturalised in temperate regions. It grows on open, disturbed, high-light ground including roadsides, field margins, and post-fire clearings, establishing from seed that can remain dormant in the soil for decades.

Record

Historical names including woolly mullein, flannel plant, and candlewick plant record the material character of the surface directly. The leaf hairs were stripped and used as lamp wicks; flowering stems were dipped in tallow and carried as torches.