Common corncockle vs Rice

Agrostemma githago compared with Oryza sativa

Key Differences

Common corncockle is Critically Endangered while Rice is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common corncockle	Rice
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Agrostemma	Oryza (Rice)
Species	Agrostemma githago	Oryza sativa

Evolutionary Relationship

Common corncockle and Rice share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Magnoliophyta. (Flowering Plants)

View Phylum: Magnoliophyta

Conservation Status

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Rice

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common corncockle	Rice
Diet	—	Autotroph
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
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.

Rice

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (12 countries), Asia (5 countries), Europe (11 countries), North America (Belize, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (5 countries).

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.

Rice

The most important food crop in human history, rice feeds over half the world's population and is the staple grain of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Domesticated from wild Oryza rufipogon approximately 9,000 years ago in the Yangtze River valley of China, rice cultivation has shaped civilizations, landscapes, and ecosystems. Its flooded paddy cultivation creates extensive wetland habitats for migratory birds, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates while producing significant methane emissions.