Rhinanthus minor

Yellow rattle is a herbaceous annual plant that resembles the larger greater yellow rattle (Rhinanthus angustifolius). The plant grows to up to tall, with opposite, simple leaves measuring × . The leaves are sessile (they grow directly from the stem), somewhat heart-shaped at the base, otherwise ovate (oval-shaped) to lanceolate (shaped like a lance tip), dentate (toothed) and scabrid (a little rough to the touch). The stem, which stands upright, can be simple or branched, is four-angled and often streaked or spotted black. The yellow flowers are across and have a straight tube for the petals. The silvery-coloured fruit is a dry capsule, which contains loose, rattling seeds when ripe that give the plant one of its common names. The herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, in his The English Physician (first published in 1652), wrote of yellow rattle as being "good for cough, or dimness of sight". The plant has a reputation of being toxic to animals. The seeds contain iridoids which cause them to have a bitter taste. File:Rhinanthus minor (Icones Florae Germanicae et Helveticae 1862, v20, plate 1738, BHL-29363) clean, no-description.png|alt=old illustration of yellow rattle and its seeds|Rhinanthus minor, from Icones Florae Germanicae et Helveticae, 1862 File:Rhinanthus minor fruits.JPG|Fruits: when dry, the seeds rattle inside the capsules, giving the plant its name. ==Taxonomy==

Rhinanthus minor is a flowering plant in the genus Rhinanthus in the family Orobanchaceae. It was described by the Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in volume 3 of Amoenitates Academici (1756). The species name is derived from Ancient Greek and means 'nose flower', which is in reference to the shape of the upper lip of the corolla. Minor means 'smaller'. It is classified in the genus Rhinanthus within the family Orobanchaceae. According to Plants of the World Online it has four accepted subspecies: • Rhinanthus minor subsp. calcareus – Endemic to Great Britain • Rhinanthus minor subsp. lintonii – Endemic to Great Britain • Rhinanthus minor subsp. minor – Native to Europe and western Asia, introduced widely • Rhinanthus minor subsp. monticola – France, Great Britain, and Ireland The synonyms of Rhinanthus minor and its four subspecies include 50 species names. ==Distribution and ecology==

Rhinanthus minor is found in Europe, western Russia, western Siberia, northern USA and throughout Canada. but is a facultative parasite, in that it acts opportunistically when in contact with a root. The hemiparasitic nature of yellow rattle can result in stunted, unbranched individual specimens. The plant can associate with many different host species, notably Poaceae (grasses) and Fabaceae (legumes). In Ireland and Scotland, yellow rattle is often associated with Machair habitat, which consists of coastal grassland. The seeds are spread effectively by traditional hay-making practices. As of 2021 a majority of studies had found positive or neutral effects of the introduction of Rhinanthus spp. on grassland species richness and diversity, with most finding a negative effect on grasses. Conservation status Rhinanthus minor is found in low-lying fields with poor quality soil. It is currently not under threat; as such it is rated as of Least Concern (LC). Being an annual, it is not found in regularly mown or grazed grassland where the seeds are not provided with an opportunity to spread over the ground. The lack of a seed bank for yellow rattle means that it depends on seed produced from plants during the previous year. Pasture and hay field infestation In the northeastern United States, yellow rattle is considered a pest, as it directly decreases crop yields of grass and hay through its parasitism. Where the plant is found to have infested farmland it has to be suppressed; non-herbicidal strategies for removing it include the application of wood ash and sawdust on affected pastures. ==Uses and cultivation==

in England containing yellow rattle and seeds Yellow rattle is used to proactively create or restore wildflower meadows. It is used to reduce the dominance of grasses, when more expensive methods, such as removing the nutrient-rich topsoil, or impractical methods, such as changing the timing and intensity of grazing, cannot be used. After the yellow rattle plants have germinated and matured, the fruits shed their seeds. The meadow hay is cut and removed to encourage the growth introduced wild flowers. The seed, which is short-lived, is sown in the autumn, using seed harvested that year. The seeds have to remain on or under the ground throughout the cold months of winter in order to germinate in the spring. ==Notes==