Corncockle Seeds - Agrostemma githago

Agrostemma githago, commonly named Corncockle, is an adorable annual weed that was once widespread in grain fields and is now in danger of extinction. This plant shares the beauty of common wildflowers. In summer, it blooms in large funnel-shaped flowers, which can be white, pink or veined with purple pink and are held at the tips of tall, hairy, sinewy stems. Very decorative at the back of cottage garden flower beds, corncockle enjoys the full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.

Corncockle belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. It is a herbaceous annual native to Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa, that has spread to almost every continent because its seeds used to be mixed with wheat crops. Long considered an invasive and dangerous weed in cereal crops, it has now become rare and is probably one of the most beautiful wildflowers of our regions. It quickly forms upright, sparsely branched stems with a narrow, sinuous habit, and reaches a height of 50 cm to 1 m when in flower. A large part of the plant is covered with silky grey hairs, which are denser on the leaves and even denser near the flower. The leaves are linear or narrow and lanceolate. Each leaf shows a well-marked midrib. Its flowers appear between June and August, followed by fruits from July to September, depending on weather conditions. The pedicellate flowers are united in cymes that are usually purple but can sometimes be white or white-pink and emerge from a hairy calyx that is swollen at its base. They measure from 3 cm to 5 cm in diameter. Whatever the colour of the petals, they are striped by five dark veins, which form more or less visible and continuous longitudinal striations. Pollination is achieved by foraging insects. The fruit is a large, swollen, tough, ovoid capsule containing 30 to 40 black, bumpy seeds covered with rough protuberances, that are about the size of a grain of wheat and very poisonous.

Simple, pretty and graceful, Corncockle sways in the slightest breeze, bringing the charm of the countryside to our gardens. Sow it in the back of wild-looking flower beds where it will be sublime and get along wonderfully with ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Mulhenbergia capillaris, catmints, pink Love-in-a-Mists, Californian poppies, maroon cornflowers. It performs well in rock gardens serving as a beautiful summer decoration and its flowers can also be used in bouquets. It is a very easy flower to grow, even in pots.

About the disappearance of this species:

Although studies have shown that there is a 20-50% increase in the size of wheat when it lives in symbiosis with corncockle, the toxicity of its seeds (for human or animal consumption) which is due to the presence of saponin, has led to its elimination from our landscapes. Today, selective weed killers and mechanical sorting of grains have gradually eliminated it from our crops. However, used in low doses, saponins can be used in phytotherapy for their anti-haemorrhagic, expectorant, de-worming and diuretic properties.