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• • Common mullein or great mullein ( Verbascum thapsus), a biennal medicinal herb used in Amerindian medicine as a tonic for lung problems, such as cough, asthma or bronchitis; Snapdragon or Figwort family ( Scrophulariaceae)(other common names: shepherd's club, woolly mullein, flanel mullein, hag taper).
  • Goldenrod ( Solidago virgaurea ); a common European plant with yellow flowers. It is used as an anti-inflammatory medicinal herb to treat mucus problems. The leaves give a yellow dye; Composite family ( Asteraceae).
  • Bush pea or Carolina lupine ( Thermopsis villosa ), a perennial plant from the Eastern USA with yellow flowers; it has some poisonous parts; Pea family (Fabaceae).
• Historically, a name for the staff carried by the Aaron who succeeded Moses as High Priest in ancient Israel, and which was transformed into a serpent. C.f. Exodus ch 7.
• In architecture, the term is given to an ornamental rod with sprouting leaves, or sometimes with a serpent entwined round it (from the Biblical references in Exodus vii. 10 and Numbers xvii. 8).
• D. H. Lawrence wrote a novel called Aaron's Rod about an amateur flautist who left his wife to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician.

External links

• Aaron's Rod at Project Gutenberg

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica