| Yellow rattle | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Genus: | Rhinanthus |
| Species: | R. minor
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinanthus minor | |
| Synonyms | |
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see main article | |
Rhinanthus minor, known as yellow rattle,[note 1] is a herbaceous wildflower in the genus Rhinanthus in the family Orobanchaceae (the broomrapes). It has circumpolar distribution in Europe, Russia, western Asia, and northern North America.[2] An annual plant, yellow rattle grows up to 10–50 centimetres (3.9–19.7 in) tall, with upright stems and opposite, simple leaves. The fruit is a dry capsule, with loose, rattling seeds.
The preferred habitat of Rhinanthus minor is dry fields or meadows; it tolerates a wide range of soil types. It flowers in the summer between May and September. It is hemiparasitic, notably on Poaceae (grasses) and Fabaceae (legumes), and farmers consider it to be a pest, as it reduces grass growth.
Yellow rattle is used to create or restore wildflower meadows, where it maintains species diversity by suppressing dominant grasses and the recycling of soil nutrients. The seed is sown thinly onto grassland from August to November—to germinate the following spring, the seeds need to remain in the soil throughout the winter months.
- ^ Press 1993, p. 242.
- ^ a b USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rhinanthus minor". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Rhinanthus minor ssp. minor L." Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Yellow Rattle (Cockscomb, Rattle Basket, Hay Rattle)". The Tortoise Table. 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
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