Melampyrum lineare (Cow-wheat)

Melampyrum lineare Desr.

Cow-wheat, narrowleaf cowwheat

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Orobanchaceae	Broomrape family of parasitic plants
Genus	Melampyrum	From Greek melas, “black,” and pyros, “wheat,” for the black seeds
Species	lineare	“Linear,” for the long narrow leaves

About plant names...

Cow-wheat is a North American native plant. Like other members of the figwort family, cow-wheat is hemiparasitic: it derives some of its energy from sunlight and some by attaching its roots to nearby plants’ roots and parasitizing them.

Identification: Plants are 3-16" (7.6-40 cm) tall, usually branched, hairless or with fine hairs. Cow-wheat’s small size and low-key flowers makes it easily overlooked, but it is very common on forest floors in many parts of North America. Leaves are opposite, ¾-2" (2-6 cm) long, usually smooth edged (entire) and sometimes with teeth near the base. They and long and narrow to lance-shaped (linear to lanceolate). Flowers are cream-colored, sometimes with a touch of pink, ¼-⅜" (8-12 mm) long, and tubular, with a yellow lower lip. They appear from June to August. Fruits are blackish, curved, flattened capsules.

Medical: An infusion made from the plant was once used by the Ojibwe Indians as a “little medicine for the eyes.”

Online References:

Melampyrum lineare on BorealForest.org

Melampyrum lineare on

Melampyrum lineare on Discover Life

Melampyrum lineare on Ontario Wildflowers

Melampyrum lineare on the USDA Plants Database

Melampyrum lineare on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Melampyrum lineare at Minnesota Wildflowers

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

6/14/2016 · Andres Institute of Art, Big Bea, Brookline, New Hampshire

7/12/2019 · Cornelia and Florence Bridge Nature Preserve, Milford, Pennsylvania
≈ 5 × 4" (12 × 11 cm)

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 3½ × 4½" (8.9 × 11 cm)

Melampyrum lineare description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 21 Aug 2020.

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm)

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 7" (23 × 18 cm)

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 6" (26 × 16 cm)

8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm)

7/12/2020 · Harraseeket Trail, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 7 × 5" (18 × 13 cm)

7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 4½" (11 × 11 cm)

Range:

About this map...