Cow Wheat
Melampyrum lineare
From Nearctica
Identification: Flowers pale yellow to white, with a long, tubular corolla. Upper 2 petal lobes fused into a hood-shaped structure. Lower 3 petals forming a 3-lobed lower lip. Flowers located near the top of the plant, arising along from the leaf axils. Leaves long, pointed at the apex, in opposite pairs. Upper leaves with large, sharp, pointed teeth. Teeth absent from lower leaves. Plant 4 to 12 inches in height.
Distribution: Across Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. Southward in the east to Georgia and Tennessee and in the west to Montana and Idaho.
Habitat: Cow Wheat is found in peaty soils, dry woods, and on rocky ground.
Flowering period: July to August.
Similar Species: The sharply pointed basal teeth on the upper leaves and the long, narrow, pale yellow flowers usually make this plant species unmistakable.