''Melampyrum'' is a genus of about 20 species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

flowering plants in the family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family (biology), family of mostly parasitic plants of the order (biology), order Lamiales, with about 90 genus, genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', ...

known commonly as cow wheat. They are native to temperate regions of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

. They are hemiparasites on other plants, obtaining water and nutrients from host plants, though some are able to survive on their own without parasitising other plants.Kim, K. and S. Yun. (2012)
A new species of ''Melampyrum'' (Orobanchaceae) from southern Korea.
''Phytotaxa'' 42 48-50. ''Melampyrum'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species, including the

mouse moth The mouse moth (''Amphipyra tragopoginis'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a widespread species with a Holarctic distribution. Distribution Europe (except the extreme north, and not occurring in the south of Spain, Sicily, or the Balka ...

(''Amphipyra tragopoginis'').

Phylogeny

The phylogeny of the genera of

Rhinantheae Rhinantheae is a tribe with fewer than 20 genera of herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Phylogeny The phylogeny of the genera of Rhinantheae has been explored using DNA markers. Three assemblages can be distinguished in this trib ...

has been explored using molecular characters. ''Melampyrum'' appears as a distant relative of other genera of Rhinantheae. It is the sister group of two clades: (i) '' Rhynchocorys'', ''

Lathraea ''Lathraea'' (toothwort) is a small genus of five to seven species of flowering plants, native to temperate Europe and Asia. They are parasitic plants on the roots of other plants, and are completely lacking chlorophyll. They are classified in th ...

'', and ''

Rhinanthus ''Rhinanthus'' is a genus of annual parasitic plant, hemiparasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae, formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae. Its species are commonly known as rattles. The genus consists of about 30 to 40 ...

'' ; and (ii) the core Rhinantheae containing ''

Bartsia ''Bartsia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Etymology ''Bartsia'' was named after Johann Bartsch (Latinized as Johannes Bartsius, 1709-1738), a botanist of Königsberg. The plant was named for him by his associate ...

'', ''

Euphrasia ''Euphrasia'', or eyebright, is a genus of about 215 species of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Orobanchaceae (formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae), with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are P ...

'', ''

Tozzia ''Tozzia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants within the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. It contains a unique species, ''Tozzia alpina''. While the plant in its young, vegetative stage is holoparasite, it becomes hemiparasite in its flow ...

'', ''

Hedbergia ''Hedbergia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants, initially classified in Scrophulariaceae, and now within the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. It contains a unique species, ''Hedbergia abyssinica''. It is an afromontane genus, widesprea ...

'', '' Bellardia'', and ''

Odontites ''Odontites'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Phylogeny The phylogeny of the genera of Rhinantheae has been explored using molecular characters. ''Odontites'' belongs to the core Rhinantheae. It is the sister genus to ...

''.

Taxonomy

Selected species

* ''

Melampyrum arvense ''Melampyrum arvense'', commonly known as field cow-wheat, is an herbaceous flowering plant of the genus ''Melampyrum'' in the family Orobanchaceae. It is striking because of the conspicuous spike of pink or purple terminal bracts which includes ...

'' (field cow-wheat).

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. * '' Melampyrum cristatum'' (crested cow-wheat). Europe. * '' Melampyrum klebelsbergianum''.

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. * '' Melampyrum koreanum''. Asia. * '' Melampyrum laxum''. Asia. * '' Melampyrum lineare'' (narrowleaf cow-wheat).

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. * ''

Melampyrum nemorosum Wood cow-wheat (''Melampyrum nemorosum'') is an herbaceous flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to Europe. In Sweden it is called ''natt och dag'' (''Night and Day'').Melampyrum pratense ''Melampyrum pratense'', the common cow-wheat, is a plant species in the family Orobanchaceae. The seed of the plant has an elaiosome, which is attractive to wood ants (''Formica'' spp.). The ants disperse the seeds of the plant when they take ...

'' (common cow-wheat). Europe. * '' Melampyrum roseum''. Asia. * '' Melampyrum saxosum''. Europe. * '' Melampyrum sylvaticum'' (small cow-wheat). Europe.

References

External links

Orobanchaceae genera Orobanchaceae Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Parasitic plants {{Orobanchaceae-stub