Rhinanthus minor. Yellow rattle. Gliográn.

Description

Common name:  Yellow rattle. Gliográn.

General:
This population originates from Co Down. We collect from two sites about 7 miles apart as the crow flies, both natural native, never sown beautiful grasslands. We collect by hand and allow all the bugs to climb away safely. We clean them up for packaging. You may see the odd grass seed and that’s because they come from a meadow, the grass seeds are also native Irish origin and generally of species like sweet vernal grass or crested dogs tail, so if you get a few shhh don’t tell or everyone will want some.
Thank you to our donors and to our customers. 100% of the proceeds go to furthering the charity’s native seed collections to safeguard our island’s flora.
Attractive annual to 50cms. Bright yellow hooded, almost pea-like flowers on flower stems, May to July.

Benefits:
A root hemi-parasite on grasses, noted for its ability to diminish grass and so open up a meadow for other wild flowers to flourish. Generally a good moth food plant, it is the larval food plant of the Grass rivulet (Perizoma albulata).
Attractive to bees of all kinds, it’s a beautiful plant in its own right.

Habitat:
Needs a meadow/grassland and once established will spread. It can be removed from a property by mowing before the flowers set and shed their seed.

Sowing guidelines:
Sow up to Christmas direct. It must get into firm contact with and into the soil in amonget the grass. It needs the grass as a food source, otherwise it can’t grow.  Once established allow it to self seed every year so it can come back next year.
Download our sowing guidelines here.

Average weight: 300 seeds per gram.