plant-banner1

NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Melampyrum lineare

Cow-wheat, Common Cow-wheat, Appalachian Cow-wheat, Narrowleaf Cow-wheat

Scientific Name:

Melampyrum lineare

Genus:

Melampyrum

Species Epithet:

lineare

Common Name:

Cow-wheat, Common Cow-wheat, Appalachian Cow-wheat, Narrowleaf Cow-wheat

Plant Type

Herb/Wildflower

Life Cycle

Annual (Herbs Only)

Plant Family

Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family)

Native/Alien:

NC Native

Size:

0-1 ft., 1-3 ft.

Bloom Color(s):

White

Light:

Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day, Less than 2 hours of sun per day

Soil Moisture:

Dry

Bloom Time:

April, May, June, July

Growing Area:

Mountains

Habitat Description:

Var. latifolium: Dry soils in ridgetop woodlands, heath balds, and in thin soils around rock outcrops (especially on granitic domes near Highlands, NC); common in NC Mountains; var. americanum: Dry soils; rare in NC Mountains (Weakley 2015).

Leaf Arrangement:

Opposite

Leaf Retention:

Deciduous

Leaf Type:

Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like

Leaf Form:

Simple

Life Cycle:

Annual (Herbs Only)

Wildlife Value:

No known wildlife value

Landscape Value:

Not Recommended for home landscapes

State Rank:

S4: Apparently secure (*Key)

Global Rank:

G5 - Secure (*Key)

Notes:

Hemiparasitic. Two varieties in NC, var. americanum (Common Cow-wheat) and var. latifolium (Appalachian Cow-wheat).

Blooming Plants

The plants are small, slender, delicate.

image

Black Mountain, June 2005
© MB Baumeister

Closeup of Buds and Blooms

The flowers are not even an inch long.

image

Black Mountain, June 2005
© MB Baumeister

Closeup of Blooms

image

Black Mountain, June 2005
© MB Baumeister

Links:

USDA PLANTS Database Record



Permalink - (right click to save this page to your bookmarks)

<<< PREVIOUS

NEXT >>>

back to top
go to plant details search
go to plant images search
go to gallery home
back to Initial m Gallery
back to orchids
back to Carnivorous Plants
back to Trilliums