Melampyrum pratense aka Common Cow Wheat

Melampyrum pratense, or common cow wheat, is a wildflower. It is an annual: it lives for one year. It belongs to the broomrape family, Orobanchaceae. Its native range runs from Europe to central Siberia. In Britain and Ireland, it favours the west and north. It grows in woods, scrub, heaths and upland moors. It also grows in hedgerows and woods on chalk or limestone. Its name refers to meadows, but it grows elsewhere too.

Slim, upright stems reach about 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. The green leaves are narrow, pointed and smooth. They lack stalks and grow in pairs across the stem. Each pair sits at right angles to the next. Sources describe plants as tufted, dense or spreading in form. Groups can form a low cover while in flower.

Yellow flowers shaped like tubes grow along the upper stem. They face the same way in pairs with gaps between. Green bracts, which look like leaves, grow around them. Blooms last from late spring into early autumn. They reach their peak in summer. Bees visit the flowers to feed on nectar. Heath fritillary caterpillars eat the leaves. Lead-coloured pug moth caterpillars feed on the flowers too. Flat, oval seed pods, called capsules, follow the blooms. These hold four seeds in most cases. Each seed has a fleshy part called an elaiosome. Its fats and proteins draw wood ants to it. The ants take seeds towards their nests and spread the plant.

Cow wheat makes food from light through photosynthesis. It also draws nutrients from hosts, making it a hemi-parasite. Its hosts are likely to include roots of woody plants. This can make it hard to grow outside its wild home. It favours soil that drains well, from dry to moist. North Carolina State advises poor, acid soil. It also notes that the plant can bear some lime. Sun or part shade suits it. Light that filters through woods suits it too. The RHS gives it a UK hardiness rating of H6.

Garden uses include loose, informal groups and gardens for wildlife. It also suits banks and slopes. North Carolina State lists pots and mass planting too. Seeds grow into new plants for the next year. Once it takes hold, it needs little care and no pruning. Both sources report few pests or diseases. Neither source shows edible uses for this plant. Neither confirms that it is safe for people or pets.