Rhinanthus – friend or foe? It all depends on your perspective!
Do you know this delightful plant? Yesterday morning I went on a lovely hike with the hounds – the meadows are a pure delight in early summer – here is a snap from that moment taken in a glorious and luminous sweet swathe of yellow Rhinanthus.
Also known in English as cock’s comb, yellow rattle, hay rattle or rattle basket, Rhinanthus owes its common name to its late summer dry seed head/capsule that can be shaken like a rattle, providing entertainment for local kids.
I have a fascination of taking close up photos of this melliferous plant (our main local species is Rhinanthus alectorolophus) with its remarkable toothy form.
So if you have the time, here is some more information about this wee plant and the important role it plays in the meadows here in the Haut Var region of Provence.
Rhinanthus species are members of the Orobranchaceae family – usually these are fully parasitic plants – we have several other orobranch species including broomrape that are 100% parasitic, don’t have chlorophyll and depend entirely on their host to provide all their nutritional needs.
Rhinanthus, however, is hemi-parasitic and it thrives in our nutrient-poor fields. Being hemi-parasitic, it means that the plant has some degree of independence as contains chlorophyll and is capable of fixing carbon through photosynthesis for essential plant building blocks such as glucose whilst also choosing to penetrate the roots of host plants with its specialised roots (haustoria) to obtain other needs such as nitrogen and minerals that other plants have been able to capture/store. Rhinanthus is capable of parasitizing different plant species but it especially favours grasses and nitrogen fixers such as vetches and clover.
Where I live in the mountains, we are known for the quality of our hay due to its rich diversity of grass and other plant species. In fact, much of the delicious hay produced in our meadows is sold and then transported (at a good price) to Italy!
Additionally, for the production of hay absolute, when Rhinanthus is present, it is considered more highly prized in perfumery.
However…Rhinanthus is locally considered detrimental to hay because, over time, it reduces the vigour of certain grasses through its parasitism. It is thus a sign of poor hay quality, and is reputed (unproven) to be toxic to herbivores. When it is present in large swathes, it can lead to loss of grazing (the plant is extremely bitter and thus generally avoided by cows and sheep). So, from a short-term purse/ monetary perspective, Rhinanthus is like the black sheep of the family and could be seen as something to be avoided.
However, there is a positive spin on this, as, over time, Rhinanthus directly contributes to biodiversity and from an ecological point of view, this plant is highly positive and is currently used/sown in re-wilding practices across Europe to encourage the growth and diversity of other broad-leaved species and to reduce grass competition. For example if your garden is struggling with couch grass domination/strangulation, sowing Rhinanthus over several seasons will help suppress it and permit other species to flourish. Rhinanthus thus, over time, contributes to a far more robust, resilient, diverse and healthy ecosystem and our mountain meadows flourish with species diversity thanks largely to its presence.
So is it your friend or is it your foe? It all depends on your perspective!
And here is another thing – Rhinanthus is annual and it grows fast – it can move from germination to blooming in just 12 short weeks. Its seeds do need an extended dormancy period (just 3-4 months of cold – our winters are at least that long) but they have only a short period of viability – they need to be able to germinate in the year that follows. You could say they are annual opportunists and unlike many other plants, the soil doesn’t harbour a seed bank (see my Mullein post for comparison) for future years.
Our traditional methods of hay harvesting (for the most part cut by tractor followed by hay turning and simple baling rather than the round hay baling with the ‘combine harvester’ method that tends to shred seeds) retain viable Rhinanthus seeds and also contributes to them being spread more widely throughout our meadows, thereby enabling their germination in the season that follows.
And now with my herbal hat on, here’s another fascinating titbit:
In terms of uses, Culpeper’s Complete Herbal and English Physician enlarged (1653) of which I have a precious copy explains: “The yellow rattle, or Cock’s Comb is held to be good for those that are troubled with a cough or dimness of sight, if the herb, being boiled with beans and some honey put thereto, be drank or dropped into the eyes. The whole seed being put into the eyes draws forth any skin, dimness or film, from the sight, without trouble or pain.”
Whilst Rhinanthus does not have active use in current herbal medicine, it does contain both iridoid glycosides such as rhinanthin and aucubine as well as anthocyanins… and believe it or not, I just came across some hot-off-the-press research into the positive effects on visual acuity and conjunctival hydration in those with presbyopia through supplementation of plant extracts rich in iridoids and anthocyanins! So Nicholas Culpeper’s reference to improving ‘dimness of sight’ may well hold true!
Perhaps in these current troubled times, some of us could do with improved visual acuity, especially with regards to seeing what is actually right in front of our eyes. Having a clearer viewpoint always leads to increased strength and resilience. Do you need to step back to see more clearly what is actually in front of your eyes? Maybe you could do with a more balanced perspective.
So is Rhinanthus friend or foe? I think it all depends on your point of view !
If I talk to farmers locally, they often cuss when they see it flourishing in a part of their fields. Others, like me rejoice when they see it as they recognise the valuable work that it is doing underground, working to reduce plant dominance so that other species have the opportunity to flourish.
In the short term, you could argue that Rhinanthus is detrimental. However, over time, the challenges that Rhinanthus brings to dominant species actually in the end leads to overall increased terrain health and diversity.
It’s all a matter of perspective.
May your eyes be clear thanks to the message of this wee plant and may we all contribute to a healthy ecology for future aromatic and herbal generations.
For my part, I’m already looking forward to my next Rhinanthus romp with my hounds to thank it for its powerful message that spoke directly to my heart.
