V. thapsus

I am almost ashamed to say that the mix up with common verses latin names got me into a problem. Not only are there a million common names for Stachys byzentina, they share common names with Verbascum thapsus. I do not desire to sound too confusing but I would like to redirect my focus to the plant I actually want to study and not its homoplasy friend. I am surprised the vast majority of websites have V. thapsus pictures in place of S. byzentina. I was finally able to sort out my proper plant by knowing it is a biennial and not a perennial like S. byzentina. I would have been able to distingus the differing species sooner I had remmebered the color of the flowers. S. byzentina has purple flowers and V. thapsus has yellow. 

"RankScientific Name and Common NameKingdomPlantae – PlantsSubkingdomTracheobionta – Vascular plantsSuperdivisionSpermatophyta – Seed plantsDivisionMagnoliophyta – Flowering plantsClassMagnoliopsida – DicotyledonsSubclassAsteridaeOrderScrophularialesFamilyScrophulariaceae – Figwort familyGenusVerbascum L. – mulleinSpeciesVerbascum thapsus L. – common mullein" from http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VETH

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=VETH

The seeds of V. thapsus are shown above. the size is shown there as well.  

They are a wetland species. Biennial. I'm not seeing anything about germination other than buy the seeds and put them in damp out of sunlight for a couple weeks before they sprout so I assume they have a thick seed coat taht must be broken down by water.

"Medicinal Uses: 

Mulleins have been used in natural medicine for centuries and are among the oldest known medicinal plants. Flowers, leaves roots and seeds are used. Mullein tea is made from the flowers and is primarily valued as an expectorant. It is anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, astringent, soothing and demulcent (soothing). An aromatic, slightly bitter tea can be made by infusing the dried leaves. A fragrant, sweeter tea can be made by infusing the fresh or dried flowers
Mullein leaves are demulcent and emollient, and are thought to possess anodyne (capable of relieving pain or distress [Greek an – ‘without’ and odune - ‘pain’ ) properties, which render them useful in pectoral complaints. The dried leaves are sometimes smoked, to relieve irritation of the respiratory mucous membranes
Like many other herbs, mullein is not entirely benign. Some people find the plant’s hairs irritating to skin and mucous membranes. It’s a good idea to see how you react to a small amount of mullein before consuming it or smearing it on your body. And always strain the tea through fine-weave cloth or a coffee filter to remove any stray hairs.

Folklore and Facts: 
The flowers make a bright yellow dye, which can be used to dye hair or cloth. The addition of dilute sulphuric acid will produce a colour-fast green. If you then add an alkali, to raise the Ph, the dye becomes brown. A yellow dye made from the flowers was used by Roman women to colour hair.

The leaves are a rubefacient, which means that if you rub them against your skin it will become red and irritated, which is something to remember when you're in the woods looking for toilet paper substitutes. It also means that when you've been handling it, your hands get a warm, fuzzy feeling. Quaker women, forbidden to use makeup, rubbed the leaves on their cheeks to give the appearance of wearing rouge, which is how mullein acquired the name 'Quaker rouge'
Leaves of common mullein were placed inside shoes for warmth giving rise to common names such as beggar's blanket or beggar's flannel. Other names refer to the softness of the leaves, and their similarity to textiles -Duffle, Blanket leaf, Feltwort, Adam's flannel, Flannel and Our Lady's flannel. Wolleyn, wullen or woollen.

Mullein stems were dipped in tallow to make torches, the custom dates back at least to Roman times. It is reported that these torches either used by witches or used to repel them, hence the name “hag taper.” Common Mullein was linked to witches, although the relationship remains ambiguous, the plant was widely held as being able to ward off curses and evil spirits. Verbascum was grown in monastery gardens to keep out the devil.

In North Somerset they called it Lucernaria, or Wick plant. Lyte says: "The whole toppe, with his pleasant, yellow floures, sheweth like to a wax-candle, a taper, cunningly wrought"; and Coles says: "The elder age used the stalks dipped in suet to burn, whether at funerals or for private uses". 
The leaves, dried and rolled, can be used as lamp wicks. It is also helpful both as tinder for starting your campfire and as a quick burning fuel. If you're still not warm enough, the leaves also make pretty good insulation when placed inside shoes or clothing. From these uses, mullein is also called Torches, Candlewick plant, and Beggar's blanket.

Aristotle noted that fish were easier to catch after eating common mullein seeds. The seeds contain saponins. Historically, fishing techniques of indigenous people around the world have frequently included the use of plant-based piscicides. In the TV series, Bushcraft, Ray Mears joins a tribe on the Amazon who fish by putting Verbascum leaves in the river to make the fish sleepy. Verbascum species are called 'fish plant' in the northern Anatolia.
The leaves also contain rotenone which has insecticide properties."

http://www.seedaholic.com/verbascum-thapsus-common-mullein-aaron-s-rod.html

I'll Make this Pretty later. Currently I'm a bit crunched time-wise with a burnt down home.

Stachys byzantina

http://dutchmasternurseriesltd.com/

This soft biennial plant goes by many names. It was previously named Stachys olympia or it is called S. byzantina olympia (I cannot find who named this, all records of creditable do not use this name). Stachys byzantina was the name given to it by K. Koch and it the one I shall be using. This plant is not to be confused with a close relative S. lanata which is a fuzzy annual and does not grow nearly as tall and tends to grow in clumps. S. byzantina goes by many common names, I've known it as lamb's ear, variations include woolly lamb's ear, fuzzy wuzzy, lamb's tongue, large lamb's ear, and woolly hedgenettle. It is very difficult with common names with this plant because many plants very similar to this plant have the same common names. The Latin name is derived from it's ancestral location where as the common names tend to reflect the large soft leaves.

Rank	Scientific Name and Common Name
Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	Asteridae
Order	Lamiales
Family	Lamiaceae – Mint family
Genus	Stachys L. – hedgenettle
Species	Stachys byzantina K. Koch – woolly hedgenettle

http://plants.usda.gov/

I have always liked this plant, it grows as a weed where I was raised and I used to fight my mother over weeding this plant or letting it grow unchecked. The plant can often be found in areas where stinging nettles often grow. It is a good signal plant to me that stinging nettles are close by. I have also used this plant many times for blowing my nose while on a hike. The purple flowers are small but are very lovely too look at against the whitish fur.

http://florapittsburghensis.wordpress.com/