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Rhinanthus minor

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Yellow rattle
photograph of a yellow rattle plant
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Rhinanthus
Species:
R. minor
Binomial name
Rhinanthus minor
Synonyms

see main article

Rhinanthus minor, known as yellow rattle,[note 1] is a herbaceous wildflower in the genus Rhinanthus in the broomrape family. It has circumpolar distribution in Europe, Russia, western Asia, and northern North America.[2] An annual plant, yellow rattle grows up to 10–50 centimetres (3.9–19.7 in) tall, with upright stems and opposite, simple leaves. The fruit is a dry capsule, with loose, rattling seeds.

The preferred habitat of Rhinanthus minor is dry fields or meadows; it tolerates a wide range of soil types. It flowers in the summer between May and September. It is hemiparasitic, notably on Poaceae (grasses) and Fabaceae (legumes), and farmers consider it to be a pest, as it reduces grass growth.

Yellow rattle is used to create or restore wildflower meadows, where it maintains species diversity by suppressing dominant grasses and the recycling of soil nutrients. The seed is sown thinly onto grassland from August to November—to germinate the following spring, the seeds need to remain in the soil throughout the winter months.

Description

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old illustration of yellow rattle and its seeds
Rhinanthus minor, from Icones Florae Germanicae et Helveticae (1862)

Yellow rattle is a herbaceous annual plant that resembles the larger greater yellow rattle (Rhinanthus angustifolius).[1][5] The plant grows to up to 10–50 centimetres (4–20 in) tall,[6] with opposite, simple leaves measuring 20–30 millimetres (0.8–1.2 in) × 5–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in).

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.[7]

The yellow flowers are 13 to 15 millimetres (0.5 to 0.6 in) 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.[1][8]

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".[9] The plant has a reputation of being toxic to animals. The seeds contain iridoids which cause them to have a bitter taste.[5][10]

Taxonomy

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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).[11] 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'.[12] It is classified in the genus Rhinanthus within the family Orobanchaceae.[13]

According to Plants of the World Online it has four accepted subspecies:[13]

  • Rhinanthus minor subsp. calcareus – Endemic to Great Britain[14]
  • Rhinanthus minor subsp. lintonii – Endemic to Great Britain[15]
  • Rhinanthus minor subsp. minor – Native to Europe and western Asia, introduced widely[16]
  • Rhinanthus minor subsp. monticola – France, Great Britain, and Ireland[17]

The synonyms of Rhinanthus minor and its four subspecies includes 109 names including 50 species names.[13][14][15][16][17]

Table of Synonyms
Name Year Rank Synonym of: Notes
Alectorolophus × fallax var. hispanicus Sennen & Elías 1925 hybrid variety subsp. minor = het., nom. nud.
Alectorolophus alpinus Rchb. 1862 species subsp. minor = het., nom. illeg.
Alectorolophus buccalis Heynh. 1846 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus crista-galli (L.) M.Bieb. 1808 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus crista-galli var. monticola (Lamotte) K.Malý 1919 variety subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Alectorolophus crista-galli var. rusticulus (Chabert) Sterneck 1901 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus crista-galli subsp. stenophyllus (Schur) K.Malý 1919 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus glaber All. 1785 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus grandiflorus var. glabratus Wallr. 1822 variety subsp. minor = het., nom. superfl.
Alectorolophus kyrollae (Chabert) Sterneck 1901 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus longibracteatus Kociejotoski 1923 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus major var. glaber Rchb. 1862 variety subsp. minor = het., nom. superfl.
Alectorolophus minor (L.) Dumort. 1827 species R. minor ≡ hom.
Alectorolophus minor Rchb. 1831 species subsp. minor = het., sensu auct.
Alectorolophus minor var. monticola (Lamotte) Sterneck 1901 variety subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Alectorolophus minor var. rusticulus (Chabert) Hayek 1914 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus minor var. stenophyllus (Schur) Wettst. 1900 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus minor f. vittulatus (Gremli) Sterneck 1901 form subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus monticola (Lamotte) Sterneck 1901 species subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Alectorolophus parviflorus Wallr. 1822 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus parviflorus var. longidens (Chabert) Rouy 1909 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus parviflorus var. perrieri (Chabert) Rouy 1909 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus parviflorus var. rusticulus (Chabert) Rouy 1909 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus parviflorus var. stenophyllus (Schur) Rouy 1909 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus parviflorus f. stenophyllus (Schur) Beck 1893 form subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus parviflorus var. vittulatus (Gremli) Rouy 1909 variety subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus personatus Behrendsen & Sterneck 1903 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus pulchella Schumach. ex Wimm. 1841 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus ramosus Schur 1866 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus rigidus (Chabert) Sterneck 1901 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus rusticulus (Chabert) Sterneck 1901 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus stenophyllus Sterneck 1905 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus stenophyllus Schur 1866 species subsp. minor = het.
Alectorolophus villosus Dumort. 1827 species subsp. minor = het.
Fistularia alpina Wettst. 1893 species subsp. minor = het.
Fistularia crista-galli (L.) Kuntze 1891 species subsp. minor = het.
Fistularia crista-galli var. vittulatus (Gremli) Borbás 1900 variety subsp. minor = het.
Fistularia minor (L.) Kuntze 1891 species R. minor ≡ hom.
Mimulus crista-galli (L.) Scop. 1771 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus borealis subsp. kyrollae (Chabert) Pennell 1951 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus calcareus Wilmott 1940 species subsp. calcareus ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus crista-galli L. 1753 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli subsp. crista-galli Ehrh. 1780 subspecies subsp. minor = het., not validly publ.
Rhinanthus crista-galli f. genevensis (Chabert) Soó 1929 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli f. longidens (Chabert) Soó 1929 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli f. maculiferus Lindb. ex Soó 1929 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli f. maritimus Sennen & Leroy 1927 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli f. minimus Schur 1866 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli subsp. minor (L.) Bonnier & Layens 1894 subspecies R. minor ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus crista-galli var. minor (L.) Hartm. 1820 variety R. minor ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus crista-galli subsp. monticola (Lamotte) Soó 1929 subspecies subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus crista-galli var. ramosissimus (Schur) Soó 1929 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli subsp. rusticulus (Chabert) Soó 1929 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli var. rusticulus (Chabert) Schinz & Thell. 1914 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli subsp. stenophyllus (Schur) Soó 1929 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crista-galli var. stenophyllus (Schur) Fiori 1926 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus crus-galli Clem. & E.G.Clem. 1914 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus elatior (Soó) Tzvelev 2000 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus gardineri Druce 1915 species subsp. lintonii = het.
Rhinanthus glaber Lam. 1779 species subsp. minor = het., nom. superfl.
Rhinanthus glaber subsp. minor (L.) Schübl. & G.Martens 1834 subspecies R. minor ≡ hom., nom. superfl.
Rhinanthus glaber var. minor (L.) Corb. 1894 variety R. minor ≡ hom., nom. superfl.
Rhinanthus hercynicus O.Schwarz 1935 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus kyrollae Chabert 1899 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus lintonii Wilmott 1940 species subsp. lintonii ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus lochabrensis Wilmott 1940 species subsp. lintonii = het.
Rhinanthus longibracteatus (Kociejotoski) Domin 1935 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus major subsp. glaber F.W.Schultz 1848 subspecies subsp. minor = het., nom. superfl.
Rhinanthus minor var. angustifolius W.D.J.Koch 1833 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. angustifolius Gren. 1853 variety subsp. monticola ≡ hom., nom. illeg.
Rhinanthus minor subsp. balticus U.Schneid. 1962 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. balticus (U.Schneid.) Hartl 1972 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor subsp. elatior (Soó) P.Fourn. 1937 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor f. genevensis Chabert 1899 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor f. gracilis Poeverl. 1905 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. hercynicus (O.Schwarz) Hartl 1972 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. longidens Chabert 1899 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor f. longiramosus Poeverl. 1905 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor f. maculifer H.Lindb. ex Hiitonen 1933 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. monticola Lamotte 1881 variety subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus minor subsp. perrieri (Chabert) P.Fourn. 1937 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor subvar. pubescens Merino 1914 subvariety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. ramosissimus Schur 1866 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor f. ramosus Poeverl. 1905 form subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor subsp. resimus Neuman 1905 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. rusticulus Chabert 1899 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor subsp. stenophyllus (Schur) P.Fourn. 1937 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. stenophyllus Schur 1866 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus minor var. vittulatus Gremli 1881 variety subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus monticola (Lamotte) Druce 1901 species subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus nigricans Meinsh. 1878 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus obscurus Stephan 1804 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus pallens Wibel 1799 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus parviflorus Bluff & Fingerh. 1825 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus perrieri Chabert 1899 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus personatus Bég. 1914 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus pratensis Vill. 1786 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus ramosus Schur 1866 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus rigidus Chabert 1899 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus rumelicus subsp. hercynicus (O.Schwarz) Soó 1929 subspecies subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus rusticulus (Chabert) Druce 1908 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus secundus Bréb. 1824 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus spadiceus Wilmott 1940 species subsp. monticola = het.
Rhinanthus spadiceus subsp. orcadensis Wilmott 1940 subspecies subsp. monticola = het.
Rhinanthus stenophyllus (Schur) Schinz & Thell. 1907 species subsp. minor = het., nom. illeg.
Rhinanthus stenophyllus (Schur) Druce 1901 species subsp. minor = het.
Rhinanthus stenophyllus var. monticola (Lamotte) Schinz & Thell. 1914 variety subsp. monticola ≡ hom.
Rhinanthus vachelliae Wilmott 1949 species subsp. lintonii = het.
Rhinanthus vulgaris Hill 1756 species subsp. minor = het., opus utique oppr.
Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym

Distribution and ecology

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Yellow rattle plants with flowers and seed capsules

Rhinanthus minor is found in Europe, western Russia, western Siberia, northern USA and throughout Canada.[5] The preferred habitat of Rhinanthus minor is dry fields or meadows, where its flowering period is in the summer between May and September,[1] but it can thrive with semi-natural species-rich water-meadows. It can tolerate a wide range of soil types but does not grow where the soil has a pH less than 5.0.[18] Yellow rattle flowers are pollinated by bumblebees during the summer months; the plant is also capable of self-fertilization.[5]

Yellow rattle is an annual wildflower.[18] It is hemiparasitic, in that it can gain its nutrients by penetrating the roots of neighbouring green plants with its own roots,[5] 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.[7] The plant can associate with many different host species, notably Poaceae (grasses) and Fabaceae (legumes).[19]

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.[20] Farmers seek to remove it since it affects yields by weakening grass; it is an indicator of poor grassland.[5]

Effects on plant community structure

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Yellow rattle can change the structure of plant communities through its parasitism.[21] Vulnerability to attack varies across host taxa, with forbs developing lignified barriers to obstruct the parasite.[22]

Research, including that at the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, has shown that encouraging it to grow in hay meadows greatly increases biodiversity, by restricting grass growth and thereby allowing other species to thrive.[20] 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.[21]

Conservation status

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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).[5]

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.[5] The lack of a seed bank for yellow rattle means that it depends on seed produced from plants during the previous year.[18]

Pasture and hay field infestation

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In the northeastern United States, yellow rattle is considered a pest, as it decreases crop yields of grass and hay. 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.[23]

Uses and cultivation

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photograph of a meadow
A traditional pasture in England containing yellow rattle
seeds of yellow rattle
Capsules 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.[18][8] This improves the chances of other species of flowers becoming established. According to Natural England, the optimum density of yellow rattle plants needed to enable other species to be introduced is 100 to 200 per m2.[18] Studies have shown that the plant's role in maintaining species diversity is through differential growth suppression effects and enhanced soil nutrient recycling.[5]

The yellow rattle seed is sown thinly onto grassland where gaps have been created,[18] or where all the grass has been cut back and the clippings removed.[8][note 2] Seeds can be also be introduced by the spreading of green hay.[18] The grass should be kept short until the beginning of March, after which the seedlings become established.[24]

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.[8] The seed, which is short-lived, is sown in the autumn, using seed harvested that year.[24] The seeds have to remain on or under the ground throughout the cold months of winter in order to germinate in the spring.[5]

Notes

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  1. ^ Other common names for Rhinanthus minor include yellow-rattle,[1] little yellow rattle,[2] cockscomb rhinanthus,[3] hay rattle, rattle basket and cockscomb.[4]
  2. ^ Natural England suggests a sowing rate of between 0.5 to 2.5 kilograms (1.1 to 5.5 lb) of seed per hectare.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Press 1993, p. 242.
  2. ^ a b NRCS. "Rhinanthus minor". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Rhinanthus minor ssp. minor L." Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Yellow Rattle (Cockscomb, Rattle Basket, Hay Rattle)". The Tortoise Table. 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Rhinanthus minor". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  6. ^ Hessayon 2009, p. 48.
  7. ^ a b Westbury 2004.
  8. ^ a b c d Byfield, Andy (27 September 2012). "Yellow rattle: the meadow-maker's helper". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  9. ^ Culpepper 1860, p. 303.
  10. ^ Liu & Mander 2010, 4.08.1.2.1(vii)(c).
  11. ^ "Details for: Rhinanthus minor". Euro+Med Plant Base. 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  12. ^ Gledhill 2008, pp. 260, 330.
  13. ^ a b c POWO 2025a.
  14. ^ a b POWO 2025b.
  15. ^ a b POWO 2025c.
  16. ^ a b POWO 2025d.
  17. ^ a b POWO 2025e.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h Jefferson, Richard (2009). "Technical Information Note TIN060:The use of yellow rattle to facilitate grassland diversification" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  19. ^ Gibson & Watkinson 1989, p. 404.
  20. ^ a b "Add yellow rattle seed Rhinanthus minor to hay meadows". Conservation Evidence. 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  21. ^ a b Chaudron et al. 2021.
  22. ^ Jiang et al. 2010.
  23. ^ Smith & Cox 2014, p. 118.
  24. ^ a b "How to grow Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)". Plantlife. 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.

Sources

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Further reading

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  • Media related to Rhinanthus minor at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Rhinanthus minor at Wikispecies
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