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Rhinanthus minor ssp. minor

Rhinanthus minor L. ssp. minor

Little Yellowrattle, Yellow Rattle

Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Synonym(s): Rhinanthus borealis ssp. kyrolliae, Rhinanthus crista-galli, Rhinanthus crista-galli var. fallax, Rhinanthus kyrolliae, Rhinanthus rigidus, Rhinanthus stenophyllus

USDA Symbol: RHMIM

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I), SPM (I)

An erect plant with widely spaced, opposite leaves on stem and bilaterally symmetrical flowers in spikes at top; all flowers turned to one side, each with a yellow corolla protruding from a flat calyx (as if pressed from sides).

This flower is unmistakable, but its technical classification is unsettled. Around the Northern Hemisphere there are numerous regional variants, many of which have been named as species that are accepted by some authorities but not by others. This plant is also known as Rhinanthus crista-galli; that scientific name means "snout-flower cock's comb," probably referring to the comb-like row of calyces (plural for calyx) and the snout-shaped corolla. The plant, though able to make its own food through photosynthesis, is semi-parasitic, obtaining some of its nutrients from the roots of other plants. As the common name implies, the seeds rattle in the capsule at maturity.