| Melampyrum | |
|---|---|
| Wood Cow-wheat (Melampyrum nemorosum) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Genus: | Melampyrum |
| Species | |
|
See text. |
|
Melampyrum is a genus of about 10-20 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are hemiparasites on other plants, obtaining some mineral nutrients from the host plant, though they are able to survive on their own without parasitising other plants.
Melampyrum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Mouse Moth.