Cow Wheat Melampyrum pratense

Cow Wheat is an annual, herbaceous, flowering, wildflower. It is a hemi-parasite, gathering nutrients from other plants. It is in the broom/rape family and native to the woods, scrub, heaths and upland moors of northern Europe and central Siberia and can also be found, though rarely, in hedgerows and deciduous woodland on chalk and limestone. The plant has yellow flowers in pairs, both facing the same way, making this plant unmistakable when in bloom during the summer. The genus name comes from the Greek words for black and wheat, referring to the fact that if seeds of the plant are included with wheat for grinding, the resulting flour is blackened. The species name means 'of meadows', the typical site for the plant.

Cow Wheat grows best in well-drained, nutrient-poor acidic soils in full sun or partial shade. It is less common in alkaline soils, but it can tolerate lime and is sometimes found on chalk and in soil containing limestone.

The large seeds contain a fleshy structure that is consumed by wood ants, who disperse the seeds as they bring them back to their nest. Because the ants do not travel more than a few yards, the presence of these plants indicate that the woodland is well established.

The plant is relatively short and can be grown in a container or as a mass-planting producing a flowering ground cover. It is an annual, but the seeds can spread for next year's crop.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

No known diseases or insect pests.