ii6 



Yellow Rattle. 



[may, 



Description. — Yellow Rattle is a somewhat peculiar looking 

 plant, occurring as a weed in grass land, especially in damp or 

 wet meadows and pastures, where it is partially parasitic on the 

 roots of grasses, &c. It is an erect-growing annual belonging 

 to the Order Scrophulariaceae, and bears narrow serrated leaves, 

 which are placed opposite one another on the smooth, quadran- 

 gular stem and its branches. It may attain to 18 inches in 

 height, and bears numerous flowers arranged in spikes, on which 

 the flowers are turned in all directions. The corolla of the 

 flowers is yellow, the upper lip being the longer and the lobes 

 blue ; the lower lip has three lobes, and with the toothed 

 appendages on the sides of the upper lip gives the flower 

 a peculiar and characteristic appearance. The red-tipped 

 calyx, after the fall of the corolla, resembles a Cock's- 

 comb. The shape of the flower also gave rise to the name 

 Rhinanthus, taken from the Greek words this, rhinos, the 

 nose, and anthos, a flower, literally therefore the nose-flower. 

 Flowering takes place about May to June or July. The seeds 

 are winged and are borne in roundish compressed, two-valved 

 capsules, in which they rattle when shaken, thus originating 

 two of the common names of the weed. 



Distribution. — This weed is found throughout the British 

 Islands as far north as Shetland, and in the Scottish Highlands 

 occurs as much as 2,500 feet above sea level. It is also found in 

 Northern Europe, North Asia, and North America. Several 

 cases have come to the notice of the Board in which Yellow 

 Rattle has been the cause of much trouble and annoyance. 



Injurious Effect. — Yellow Rattle is semi-parasitic on the roots 

 of grasses and various herbs, and according to Gussow* experi- 

 ment has shown that it cannot be cultivated entirely by itself . 

 It certainly does not grow satisfactorily unless partially para- 

 sitic on other plants. Where it occurs extensively therefore much 

 harm will be done to the meadow or pasture, space being taken 

 up and good plants crowded out, food materials being absorbed 

 from the host-plants by the haustoria of the Yellow Rattle, while 

 the plant is not liked by stock and reduces the value of the hay 

 in which it may occur. It has been stated that the seeds of 

 Yellow Rattle when ground up with wheat discolour and 

 impart an unpleasant taste to bread made from the flour, 



* A°. Gazette, April 23, 1906. 



