African amaranth vs Common corncockle

Amaranthus muricatus compared with Agrostemma githago

Key Differences

• African amaranth is Not Evaluated while Common corncockle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African amaranth	Common corncockle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Amaranthaceae	Caryophyllaceae
Genus	Amaranthus	Agrostemma
Species	Amaranthus muricatus	Agrostemma githago

Evolutionary Relationship

African amaranth and Common corncockle share a common ancestor at the Order level: Caryophyllales. (Caryophyllales)

Conservation Status

African amaranth

NE — Not Evaluated

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African amaranth	Common corncockle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

African amaranth

Habitat

Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria, Morocco, South Africa), Asia (Israel), Europe (11 countries), North America (Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil).

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African amaranth

The African amaranth (Amaranthus muricatus) is a species in the genus Amaranthus. Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 12 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States