Question: Just wondering if I’m correct in identifying this plant as as Melampyrum lineare and wondering about the variation in the …
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Question
Just wondering if I’m correct in identifying this plant as as Melampyrum lineare and wondering about the variation in the leaf shape as they don’t appear to resemble the leaves from other pics I seen of this plant?
Answer
Dear Nannie, good morning. You are correct that the plant you photographed is Melampyrum linarea. This hemiparasitic species has tremendous variation in leaf shape, ranging from very narrow (linear) and without teeth or lobes, to the broad leaves with prominent lobes you have captured in the image. These are currently all considered variation represented by the species, though some of this variation does show geographical separation (in part). Best wishes.
