Agrostemma

Agrostemma 

a genus of annual herbaceous plants of the family Caryophyllaceae. The flowers have five petals and are large; there is only one flower at the end of a peduncle. The calyx has long tooth-like projections; the fruit is a capsule. There are three species in Eurasia. In the USSR there are two species. Corn cockle (A. githago) is a very hairy plant with dark pink and, sometimes, white flowers and seeds with pointed tubercles. It is a harmful weed that is found everywhere and, occasionally, in fields of rye, wheat, and oats. In the Volga region A. linicola is also found, growing as a weed in fields of flax; its corolla usually has green spots, and the seeds are smaller and have blunt tubercles or are smooth. The seeds of Agrostemma are poisonous and, when found in flour, are dangerous to both man and animals.

REFERENCE

Kott, S. A. Sornye rasteniia i bor’ba s nimi, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1961.