trefle.io · Taken Aug 6, 2021 by Henk Van Lottum (cc-by-sa)
Orobanchaceae
Field cow-wheat
Melampyrum arvense
Also known as Melampyrum arvense var. semleri, Melampyrum purpurescens, Melampyrum arvense var. argyrocomum, Melampyrum barbatum
Native Plants · Semi-Parasitic · Wildflower · Hemiparasite · Meadow · Arable · Orobanchaceae · European Native · Specialist Plant · Field Margin · Rare Wildflower
Field cow-wheat is a semi-parasitic annual wildflower that attaches to the roots of nearby grasses and other host plants to supplement its nutrition, making it challenging to cultivate outside its natural habitat. It thrives in unimproved meadows and arable field margins in full sun to partial shade with average moisture. Best suited for specialist wildflower meadow projects rather than conventional garden beds.
Growing conditions
The details behind the basics
- Daily light
- 6 hours
- Watering
- Water lightly; keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged · Every 7-10 days
- Maintenance
- High
- Soil
- loam
- Soil pH
- 7.5–8
- Temperature
- -20°F to 85°F
- Cycle
- Perennial
- Propagation
- Seed, Cutting
Hardiness
USDA 5a-10b
Form & growth
Mature size and habit
- Mature height
- 12 in – 3 ft
- Spread
- 2 ft
- Spacing
- 12 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Root depth
- Medium
- Flowers
- No
- Foliage
- Medium
Ecology & origin
Where it belongs and what it brings
- Native to
- Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, North Caucasus
- Attracts
- Bees, Butterflies, Moths
Sources: trefle
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