scurvy-grass
A N temperate annual or perennial; leaves oval to kidney-shaped, fleshy, forming a rosette; flowers white, cross-shaped. The sharp-tasting leaves, rich in vitamin C, were used by 17th-c sailors to combat scurvy. (Genus: Cochlearia, 25 species. Family: Cruciferae.)
Portions of the summary below have been contributed by Wikipedia.
pyrenaica
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About 25 species, see text |
Scurvy-grass (Cochlearia species;
Cochlearia acutangula Cochlearia aestuaria – Estuarine Scurvy-grass Cochlearia alatipes Cochlearia anglica – English Scurvy-grass Cochlearia aragonensis Cochlearia changhuaensis Cochlearia cyclocarpa – Roundfruit Scurvy-grass Cochlearia danica – Early or Danish Scurvy-grass Cochlearia fenestrata – Arctic Scurvy-grass Cochlearia formosana Cochlearia fumarioides Cochlearia furcatopilosa Cochlearia glastifolia Cochlearia groenlandica – Greenland Scurvy-grass Cochlearia henryi Cochlearia hui Cochlearia lichuanensis Cochlearia longistyla Cochlearia megalosperma Cochlearia microcarpa Cochlearia oblongifolia – East Asian Scurvy-grass Cochlearia officinalis – Common Scurvy-grass (including C. scotica) Cochlearia paradoxa Cochlearia rivulorum Cochlearia rupicola Cochlearia sessilifolia – Sessile-leaved or Alaskan Scurvy-grass Cochlearia sinuata Cochlearia tatrae Cochlearia tridactylites – Three-fingered Scurvy-grass Cochlearia warburgiiTwo species formerly included in the genus Cochlearia are now usually treated in separate genera:
Horseradish Armoracia rusticana (previously Cochlearia armoracia) Wasabi Wasabia japonica (previously Cochlearia wasabi)Cook's scurvy grass, Lepidium oleraceum, was used by James Cook to prevent scurvy, but is now almost extinct.
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Cochlearia offcinalis on Bear Island, Norway |
19th century illustration of Cochlearia offcinalis |
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