narrowleaf cow wheat
Melampyrum lineare
Its seeds mimic ant pupae and feature a nutrient-rich structure called an elaiosome, tricking ants into carrying them underground where they can safely germinate.
- Scientific name
- Melampyrum lineare
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Orobanchaceae › Melampyrum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Dry or moist acidic forests, pine barrens, peatlands, and rocky ridges.
- Diet
- Hemiparasitic; produces its own energy via photosynthesis but extracts water and mineral nutrients from the roots of host plants.
- Range
- Canada, Northeastern United States, Great Lakes Region, Appalachian Mountains
- Size
- 10 to 50 cm in height
- Lifespan
- 1 year (annual)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss, intense canopy closure due to fire suppression, and displacement by invasive understory plants.
- Safe to approach?
- Narrowleaf cow wheat is entirely harmless to humans. You can safely observe and photograph it from any distance. Avoid trampling the surrounding vegetation, as this annual plant relies on fragile root connections with its host trees and shrubs to survive.
Melampyrum lineare , commonly called the narrowleaf cow wheat , is an herbaceous plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to North America, where it is found in southern Canada and the northern United States, with an extension south in the Appalachian Mountains. It has a wide habitat tolerance, but is usually found in drier and somewhat exposed woodlands.
Photo: Michael Ellis, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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