Common corncockle vs

Agrostemma githago compared with Euglena gasterosteus

Key Differences

Common corncockle is Critically Endangered while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common corncockle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Protozoa (protozoa)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Euglenozoa (Euglenozoa)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Euglenoidea (Euglenoidea)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Euglenida (Euglenida)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Euglenaceae
Genus	Agrostemma	Euglena
Species	Agrostemma githago	Euglena gasterosteus

Conservation Status

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Sweden and Taiwan.

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.

Euglena gasterosteus is a freshwater euglenoid alga with a spindle-shaped, flexible cell body and chloroplasts enabling photosynthesis in well-lit aquatic environments. It inhabits ponds, ditches, and slow-moving freshwaters rich in organic matter. Like all euglenas, it can switch between autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition and uses a flagellum for movement in the water column.