Bartsia alpina

[cohan]

Someone in Alpine-L has also mentioned the fertilising Castilleja to substitute a host, specifically a high nitrogen fertiliser, I think they mentioned doing it in garden beds as well...
I wonder, if planted as host-less seedlings in a bed with potential hosts, can they still attach, or does it need to be done at seed emergence stage?

Tim, what and how have you done with the Rhinanthus? We have some occasional plants locally, and I plan to sow some, I quite like them.. i think they are annual/biennial?

[James McGee]

Tim, what and how have you done with the Rhinanthus? We have some occasional plants locally, and I plan to sow some, I quite like them.. i think they are annual/biennial?

I have never tried to grow them.  However, I did run into a patch at a preserve in Vermont.  I thought people might like to see the photo I took.

James

[McDonough]

The name Yellow Rattle seems to generally apply to Rhinanthus minor (little yellow rattle), check the links to learn more about this plant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-rattle_close_700.jpg

http://www.google.com/search?q=yellow+rattle+rhinanthus+minor&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=ZokbT7XPMuf40gG4tYDQBQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1421&bih=561

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHMI13&mapType=nativity&photoID=

[cohan]

Ours looks a little different than James' image ( I see a number of species have been lumped into minor, so some variations are expected)- or maybe its a different stage- these are rather late and mostly finished flowering.. the second shot shows the habitat- growing with clovers, grasses, willows, etc, along both sides of a road, wet/wettish pastures on both sides.. alll this woody material was removed in the following winter; I'm sure I photographed the colony the next year again, but have not found the album!

[Hoy]

Tim, what and how have you done with the Rhinanthus? We have some occasional plants locally, and I plan to sow some, I quite like them.. i think they are annual/biennial?

I have never tried to grow them.  However, I did run into a patch at a preserve in Vermont.  I thought people might like to see the photo I took.

James

It is about 45 species of Rhinanthus in Eurasia. All are annuals and hemiparasitic root-parasites that make many secondary haustoria to a lot of host plants. I have R. minor at my mountain cabin. I have several times "helped" them to new areas by sowing seed. Seems to work well enough. I have also tried sowing Pedicularis in situ but they are slower to establish and I am not sure I have succeeded yet.

[cohan]

I'm always amazed that any plant can be an annual in my insanely short season-- well, the season is a few months, I guess, as long as the plants can take some frost for all but the middle of it!! I remain sceptical whether all the 'annuals' here really do all their work in one year, or get a head start the year before ( I know some do one or the other or both...)

[Hoy]

I'm always amazed that any plant can be an annual in my insanely short season-- well, the season is a few months, I guess, as long as the plants can take some frost for all but the middle of it!! I remain sceptical whether all the 'annuals' here really do all their work in one year, or get a head start the year before ( I know some do one or the other or both...)

Cohan, your season must be longer and warmer than you think! After all, trees do grow there
Your climate is similar in many ways to what we have at our mountain cabin - we call it mountain but actually it is below the treeline. Usually the snow disappear in May and is back in October - November. Frosty nights can occur every month in the year. The maximum temperature can go to 30C in the summer (more than at home) and the minimum is -35C in the winter.