Agrostemma

e682Agrostemma is a genus of annual plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, containing the species known as corncockles. Its best-known member is A. githago, the common corncockle, which is a native of Europe where it is simply called “the corncockle”. The species is a weed of cereals and other crops, probably with a centre of origin in the eastern Mediterranean.[1] Nowadays[when?] declining in its native range because of improved seed cleaning, it is found as a weed worldwide. Agrostemma gracile, the slender corncockle, is only found in central Greece near the city of Farsala. Corncockle is an attractive plant, and its seeds are still commercially available to gardeners.