any of various plants belonging to the genus Verbascum, of the figwort family, native to the Old World, especially V. thapsus, a tall plant with woolly leaves and a dense spike of yellow flowers.
a composite plant, Gynura aurantiaca, native to the Old World tropics, having leaves and stems covered with dense, velvety, purple hairs and often cultivated as a houseplant. Compare purple passion.
