Yellow rattle  (Rhianthus minor)

Yellow rattle is a common hemiparasitic plant (2). The yellow flowers occur in spikes. After they die, brown seed pods remain. When these pods are shaken, the ripe seeds inside rattle, hence the common name (4). The stems of this plant tend to be spotted with black, and the leaves have toothed edges (2). Six subspecies of yellow rattle have been described in Britain, however some populations do not ‘fit’ into any of these subspecies, and it is thought by some experts that the subspecies should be abandoned and given ‘variety’ status (3)(2).