Cockle

Cockle is named once, in the closing oath of Job's final defense — a worthless plant that Job invokes as the curse-yield he is willing to suffer if his land was wrongfully held.

The Curse-Yield of Job's Field

At the end of Job's long protestation of innocence regarding his treatment of his land and laborers, he calls down a self-curse on his ground if his oath is false: "Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended" (Job 31:40). The plant is paired with thistles, set against the staple grains of wheat and barley — an obnoxious weed standing in the place of the harvest. With this oath the speech of Job concludes.