Keeled-fruited Cornsalad
Valerianella carinata
Keeled-fruited Cornsalad is a small annual herb in the valerian family, characterized by its distinctive keeled or ridged fruits and small white to pale pink flowers arranged in dense clusters. This low-growing plant typically reaches 10-40cm in height with spoon-shaped leaves and plays an important ecological role as an early-season nectar source for small pollinators and as food for seed-eating birds.
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Dipsacales
Family
Caprifoliaceae
Genus
Valerianella
Keeled-fruited Cornsalad belongs to the family Caprifoliaceae, order Dipsacales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Keeled-fruited Cornsalad is a small annual herb in the valerian family, characterized by its distinctive keeled or ridged fruits and small white to pale pink flowers arranged in dense clusters. This low-growing plant typically reaches 10-40cm in height with spoon-shaped leaves and plays an important ecological role as an early-season nectar source for small pollinators and as food for seed-eating birds.
Keeled-fruited Cornsalad faces severe decline primarily due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss from conversion of traditional farming systems to modern intensive agriculture. The species is particularly vulnerable to changes in land management practices, including increased use of herbicides and fertilizers, as well as the abandonment of traditional low-intensity farming methods that historically maintained suitable habitat conditions.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Keeled-fruited Cornsalad thrives in disturbed soils of arable fields, field margins, and waste ground, particularly favoring calcareous or neutral soils with good drainage. It is typically found in areas with periodic soil disturbance such as fallow fields, track edges, and the margins of cultivated land where competition from perennial vegetation is reduced.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Keeled-fruited Cornsalad faces severe decline primarily due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss from conversion of traditional farming systems to modern intensive agriculture. The species is particularly vulnerable to changes in land management practices, including increased use of herbicides and fertilizers, as well as the abandonment of traditional low-intensity farming methods that historically maintained suitable habitat conditions.
Agricultural intensification and herbicide use
Habitat loss from conversion of traditional farmland
Abandonment of extensive farming systems
Competition from invasive plant species
Eutrophication from fertilizer application
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Keeled-fruited Cornsalad (Valerianella carinata). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/keeled-fruited-cornsalad