How to Grow and Care for Cow wheat

Wood cow-wheat is a flowering annual native to Europe. Its early leaves are a blue color but turn green as they mature. Folklore supposes that when cows eat wood cow-wheat as fodder, the butter made from their milk is especially rich.

Common cow-wheat grows on woodland edges, mostly in acidic soil. It's partly a parasitic plant, drawing on the nutrients obtained from surrounding plants. The larvae of the rare heath fritillary butterfly feed on common cow-wheat, and the plant attracts wood ants, which feed on a liquid it produces and then disperse its seeds.

Purple cow-wheat received its scientific name from the ancient Greeks, Melampyrum arvense, which translates into "black wheat." This refers to the color baked bread turns when seeds from purple cow-wheat mix with wheat, making the loaf discolored with odd black spots. The seeds are not poisonous, even if they discolor baked foods.

Rosy cow wheat is rare and newly-discovered, having been documented in one small area in China in only 2009. It is s a hemiparasite, commonly feeding on other plants, though it can survive without doing so. It acts as a caterpillar host plant for several moth species, including the mouse moth, which also acts as one of its pollinators.

Melampyrum laxum is a herbaceous plant typically found in open woods and grassy areas. It is distinguished by slender stems, lance-shaped leaves, and small, tubular yellow flowers with purplish accents. Melampyrum laxum's growth is attuned to partial shade, prospering in well-drained soils. Its delicate appearance belies a competitive nature, often hemiparasitic on the roots of neighboring plants to obtain nutrients.