Common corncockle vs

Agrostemma githago compared with Pyrenula nitida

Key Differences

Common corncockle is Critically Endangered while is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common corncockle
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Eurotiomycetes (Eurotiomycetes)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Pyrenulales (Pyrenulales)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Pyrenulaceae
Genus	Agrostemma	Pyrenula
Species	Agrostemma githago	Pyrenula nitida

Conservation Status

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

EN — Endangered

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 Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Pyrenula nitida es un liquen crustaceo corticola que produce un talo liso y brillante de color verde oliva a marron, con peritecios en forma de frasco incrustados en la corteza lisa de arboles antiguos de hoja ancha en bosques atlanticos humedos. Se considera una especie indicadora emblematica de bosques antiguos con larga continuidad en Europa occidental. En peligro, este liquen esta gravemente amenazado por la perdida de arboles veteranos y habitats de bosque antiguo.