help with 3 if poss please.

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by leifus

corncockle is extinct in the wild in the UK, unfortunately! So yes, this will be an escapee. It was originally an Archaeophyte, introduced with agriculture in the Iron Age.

Interesting Fact: in the 17th century on herefordshire farms, an easter tradition was to weed corncockles from the spring grain. She who pulled the first or most of the weed got the biggest slice of cake at the field feast and he who pulled the first or most of the weed (as it was a weed back then..!) could expect a kiss from the prettiest girl present.

Of course agricultural weed killers put an end to all this....
oh well

Those were the days eh?

This is an interesting plant.

It is just as the 'native' Corncockle should be, with the 'star-like' sepals protruding well beyond the 'smaller' petals; compared to the large-petalled introductions where the sepals are hardly noticable.
I have always believed that our original Corncockle could be hidden somewhere in the corner of a forgotten field.
Could this be such a plant?
Dorts.

[the naturelover]

So where is my kiss then??
Just read up on it in my book. evidently the presence of this devalued the quality of the flour from the corn and was therefore considdered a real pest. such a shame for such a pretty flower. the same as our beautifull poppy I suppose.
MANY many thanks for the additional information/folklore this is what I love.
regards tn.

[alindsay]

The folkelore I heard, (sorry to those who read this before), was that farmers did everything to eradicate the Corncockle from their fields as it tainted the milled corn used in bread, so poisoned the eaters or sent them mad.

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by alindsay

The folkelore I heard, (sorry to those who read this before), was that farmers did everything to eradicate the Corncockle from their fields as it tainted the milled corn used in bread, so poisoned the eaters or sent them mad.

The seeds are poisonous, and although we have eradicated it here, in the USA, where it was introduced from Europe, it is still a troublesome cornfield weed in many parts.
Dorts.

[alindsay]

Also .......

I noticed that my avatar, a photo of Corncockle taken in a garden, did not have the star shaped sepals you mentioned, so perhaps Naturelover is on to an original find.

Hope so.