- Yellow rattle
Taxobox
name = Yellow Rattle, Cockscomb
image_width = 240px
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Lamiales
familia =Orobanchaceae
genus = "Rhinanthus "
species = "R. minor"
binomial = "Rhinanthus minor"
binomial_authority = L.Yellow Rattle or Cockscomb ("Rhinanthus minor") is a
flowering plant in the genus "Rhinanthus " in the familyOrobanchaceae , native toEurope and westernAsia .It is a hemi-parasitic
herbaceous annual plant that gains some of its nutrients from the roots of neighbouring plants. It grows to 25-50 cm tall, with opposite, simple leaves, with a serrated margin. Theflower s are yellow, produced on a terminalraceme . Thefruit is a dry capsule, which contain loose, rattlingseeds when ripe; the plant's name refers to these. Its preferred habitat is dry fields or meadows, where its flowering period is between June and September. InIreland andScotland , this species is often associated with Machairhabitat .Research at the UK's
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has shown that encouraging Yellow Rattle to grow in hay meadows greatly increases biodiversity by restricting grass growth and thereby allowing other species to thrive. The seeds are spread very effectively by traditional hay-making practices.It can be cultivated by scarifying the surface of the ground with a fork or similar, then sowing onto short grass, 0.5 to 1 gram of seed per square metre. Yellow Rattle seed is short-lived and should always be sown in the autumn, using seed harvested that year. Then, keep grass short for beginning of March when seedlings establish. Thereafter, the grass should not be cut until the end of July to allow the Yellow Rattle to flower and go to seed, then cut short.
References
* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Rhinanthus&SPECIES_XREF=minor&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: "Rhinanthus minor"]
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