Agrostemma githago seed
LATIN NAME: Agrostemma githago
COMMON NAME: Corn Cockle
The corn cockle is the magenta star of the old cornfield, and the long-petalled, rose-purple flowers open above the grey-green stems. The upright, slender, annual plant carries the narrow, grey-green, softly hairy leaves and the long-stalked, single, rose-purple or magenta flowers with the five broad, notched petals, often marked with the paler lines, through the summer, one of the fine, bright sights of the wild patch. The seeds are best left in the heads, for they are not for the table, and the plant is a fine, bold presence of the meadow garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The corn cockle is a bold subject of the plant science, and the magenta stars keep showing up in the work on the old field flowers. The way the plant once grew with the old grain crops has been studied steadily, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the arable weeds, the long-petalled campions and the members of the pink family. The narrow, grey-green leaves and the upright, slender habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the corn cockle is a regular subject of the work on the bright stars of the old fields.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The corn cockle is a fine, bold plant of the meadow garden and the wild patch. The long-stalked, rose-purple or magenta flowers with the five broad, notched petals open through the summer, one of the fine, bright sights of the wildflower meadow, drawing the bees and the butterflies. The seeds are best left in the heads, for they are not for the table, so the plant is grown for the magenta stars rather than for the grain bowl. It is one of the fine choices for the wildflower meadow, the cottage border and the annual wild patch, and it seeds itself with the ease into the generous drifts. It has been written about in the horticultural and the ecological papers for the magenta stars and the old-field ways, and it is a fine, bold plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.
Leave the old heads to stand through the winter and the fine seeds will scatter into the new drifts of the spring.
To grow the corn cockle from seed, sow the small, round seeds just below the surface of a pot of fine, free-draining soil, keep the pot in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings come through within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the well-drained ground, the magenta stars will open through the summer.
Season: Annual
Height: 36 inches
Bloom Season: Mid Spring to mid summer
Bloom Color: Purple
Environment: Full sun to partial shade
Soil Type: Free draining sandy loams
Temperature: 55 – 65F
Average Germ Time: 1 – 2 weeks
Light Required: No
Depth: 1/8 inch
Moisture: Keep seeds moist unil germination
Plant Spacing: 9 – 12 inches