Lee Schofield
©Neil Wyatt
Yellow-rattle
Scientific name: Rhinanthus minor
Brush through a wildflower meadow at the height of summer and you'll hear the tiny seeds of yellow-rattle rattling in their brown pods, hence its name.
Species information
Category
Statistics
Height: up to 45cmConservation status
Common.
When to see
May to SeptemberAbout
When the flowers of yellow-rattle fade, the brown calyxes (containing the sepals) in which the tiny seeds ripen can be seen and heard - they give a distinctive 'rattle', hence the common name. Yellow-rattle is an annual that thrives in grasslands, living a semi-parasitic life by feeding off the nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses. For this reason, it was once seen as an indicator of poor grassland by farmers, but is now often used to turn improved grassland back to meadow - by feeding off the vigorous grasses, it eventually allows more delicate, traditional species to push their way through.How to identify
Yellow-rattle has yellow, tube-like flowers protruding from an inflated, green calyx, which appear May to September. It has serrated leaves with heavy, dark veins, which sprout opposite each other all the way up the stem. Its stems have black spots.Distribution
Widespread.Did you know?
Yellow-rattle is the foodplant for the larvae of two rare moths, including the grass rivulet.
Bertie Gregory/2020VISION