Gewöhnliche Kornrade vs Derber Korkstacheling

Agrostemma githago compared with Hydnellum compactum

Key Differences

Gewöhnliche Kornrade is Critically Endangered while Derber Korkstacheling is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gewöhnliche Kornrade	Derber Korkstacheling
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Fungi (Pilze)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Caryophyllales (Nelkenartige)	Thelephorales (Thelephorales)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Bankeraceae
Genus	Agrostemma	Hydnellum
Species	Agrostemma githago	Hydnellum compactum

Conservation Status

Gewöhnliche Kornrade

CR — Critically Endangered

Derber Korkstacheling

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gewöhnliche Kornrade	Derber Korkstacheling
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gewöhnliche Kornrade

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.

Derber Korkstacheling

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gewöhnliche Kornrade

<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.

Derber Korkstacheling

Hydnellum compactum is a stipitate, tooth fungus with a compact, brownish-orange to rusty-brown cap surface covered in spines on the underside. It grows on the forest floor in coniferous forests across Europe and parts of North America, forming ectomycorrhizal associations with trees. This fungus obtains nutrients by forming mutualistic partnerships with the roots of pine, spruce, and fir trees.