Wikipedia:Peer review/Verbascum thapsus/archive1

Common Mullein
I completed today a complete and thoroughly referenced rewrite of the article. Right now it's a nominee to Good Article status, but I think it has the potential to go up to Featured article status, and would appreciate any comments. Circeus 02:35, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Not a complete peer review, just some remarks:
 * The second year it produces a tall stem  - somewhere I read the rosette does not always flower in its second year. Better check, though I may confuse it with another V. species.
 * All my sources give a bolting after wintering. The only reason I can see would be that it's not physiologically (lower there is a comment about rosette size required for flowering) or physically (stem being damaged repeatedly) possible, but the latter only causes the stem to flower later and branches.
 * see 21:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Ooooh Nice one! Adding it to my list of extra sources to use. It does seem to onlycofirm what is already there: Rosette will bolt if big enough (i.e. usually), but still mostly live only 2 years. Circeus 00:42, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * OK TeunSpaans 22:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * On second thoughts,  mentions the possibility of triennual flowering. TeunSpaans 09:18, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
 * The second year it produces a tall stem that can reach up to 3 m (10 feet)  - Many sources give a lesser height, for example gives 2 m., same for . In my personal experience heights of about 2m are normal, 2.5m are exceptions, 3m is very rare.
 * Maybe I should comment that sizes over 2.5m are exceptional, but it is still definitely factual. Similar upper sizes are reported at Dave's Garden.
 * Sorry, extensive as it is, I can not view DG as a very solid source. flora of china also mentions just 1.5m. [[User:TeunSpaans|TeunSpaans] 21:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 * When read it I feel a slight North-American bias, probably mainly because of stressing control, ecological factors where introduced, etc come up in "Distribution", "Agricultural impacts and control", "Ecological aspects", "Medical uses". Also, why do you describe its introduction in the uS and not in Australia?
 * I fell completely short of locating any European sources that were not completely focused on the herbal uses, and there was no apparent notes about introduction anywhere else than the U.S. in the material I have used so far. I suspect introduction in Australia is more recent, but I didn't see any dates.
 * I asked User:MPFto help with that. Circeus 00:42, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Should you add US distribution, pls also include European distribution.
 * I'll see what I can find. Again, sources for Europe seem pretty scarce.
 * Alas does not list Verbascum. That would be a good source.  used to have tiny maps, but seems to have abandoned them. den virtuellen flora has a world map. Beware, their maps might tend to underrepresent presences in East Asia, possibly due to lack of data.
 * gardening: any cultivars? Yearly turnover in them?
 * Doesn't seem to have any, indeed. The genus has several hybrids, but those shouldn't go into this artcile.
 * I checked and indeed there sont seem to be any cultivars. TeunSpaans 21:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 * wiki: why link only to senecio in Senecio longilobus?
 * No species page. A genus link seemed a relevant replacement for the time being.
 * wiki: Dioscorides might be linked
 * When I ckick on the reference numbers, the browser doesn't jump down to the references section
 * Do you mean the "notes" section? that's what these numbers link to. Maybe I should restore the references I moved outside of it though. It looks a bit silly in retrospective... Circeus 19:11, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I mean, for example, the "Syracuse.[1]" at the end of the first paragraph. The [1] should link to the notes paragraph, but it didnt this afternoon. Now, when I click on the [1], I jump to the notes section. TeunSpaans 21:58, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 * ssp: see . TeunSpaans 22:46, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * wouldnt it be better to move the section starting with While many insects to ecology? Btw, I like the extensive ecology paragraph. TeunSpaans 07:27, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
 * That is part of the reorganization by User:MPF, part of which I'mprobably going to have to revert. Circeus 18:03, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Please see automated peer review suggestions here. Thanks, AZ t 21:36, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
 * You may wish to have a look at for lepidoptera species which use V. thapsus as a hostplant, or add it to the already extensive list of references TeunSpaans 08:59, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I'll look into it when I have time *is trying to wade through finals* Circeus 18:03, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
 * My own photo:doubt has crept in as to my own identification; I suggest your replace it with another from commons. I'll do a new determination summer 2007, they come up in our garden every second summer ;-)
 * That would be a pretty strong contraindication: V. thapsus seeds usually sprouts after a single winter. It's already been replaced in my work version. Circeus 13:40, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
 * It complies with the opening sentence of the article: It is a dicotyledonous biennial plant that produces only a rosette of leaves in the first year. This summer I guess we had one or two rosettes in our garden, I expect flowers summer 2007. TeunSpaans 14:37, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Sorry, i thought you were referring to sprouting, not bolting. My bad.Circeus 14:43, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I'm not a native speaker, so it's probably my fault. ;-) There are lots of them growing in the dunes, some 5 km from here. A 4 or 6 years ago I took a couple of seeds from the dunes with me and threw them carelessly in our garden. Every other year we have flowers, the years in between we have rosettes. Of course there will be a year when some seeds decide to skip germination for a year and come up a year later, or some rosette might decide to flower in its third year (less likely, we have fertile earth). But neither seems to have happened yet. I didnt look for rosettes this summer, so I am not sure, but there probably are some in one corner or another. The photos are from summer 2005. TeunSpaans 16:12, 27 December 2006 (UTC)