Cochlearia

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Scurvy-grass
Cochlearia excelsa.jpg
Cochlearia officinalis subsp. pyrenaica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Cochlearia
L.
Species

About 25 species, see text

Cochlearia (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in coastal regions, on cliff-tops and salt marshes where their high tolerance of salt enables them to avoid competition from larger, but less salt-tolerant plants; they also occur in alpine habitats in mountains and tundra.

Contents

They form low, rounded or creeping plants, typically 5–20 cm tall. The leaves are smoothly rounded, roughly spoon-shaped (the scientific name Cochlearia derives from the Latinized form, cocleare, of the Greek κοχλιάριον, kokhliárion, a spoon; this a diminutive of κόχλος, kókhlos, seashell), or in some species, lobed; typically 1–5 cm long, and with a fleshy texture. The flowers are white with four petals and are borne in short racemes. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Selected species

About 30 species are usually accepted; several others usually treated as subspecies of C. officinalis are accepted as distinct species by some botanists.

Two species formerly included in the genus Cochlearia are now usually treated in separate genera:

Cook's scurvy grass, Lepidium oleraceum , was used by James Cook to prevent scurvy, but is now almost extinct.

History and uses

Scurvy-grass is edible raw and cooked, with a flavour similar to cress. [9] The leaves are rich in vitamin C, [10] [11] which cures scurvy, a deficiency disease resulting from a lack of fresh vegetables in the diet. [12] The plant was frequently eaten in the past by sailors suffering from scurvy after returning from long voyages. [13] [14] The first-century writer Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23–79) writes in his Naturalis Historia (Natural History) about a disease suffered by Roman soldiers in Germany. Their symptoms resemble those of scurvy, and Pliny recommends a Herba britannica, which has been suggested to be scurvy-grass. [15] [11]

The Rev. George Moore recorded the purchase of "a pint of scurvey-grasse" for 1 s in 1662. He apparently "suffered much" from scurvy, purchasing scurvey-grasse in both bundled and bottled form. [14] The book Cochlearia curiosa: or the curiosities of scurvygrass was published in English in 1676, [16] Described as "both a learned and accurate work", it was well received, [17] and apparently brought scurvy-grass "into great repute" as a remedy. [14] According to the Royal Society, the book contains "not only a description of the several kinds of this plant, with its several names, place, and time of growth, temperature and general vertues, but also an enumeration of the uses, medicinal vertues and manner of applying each part of this plant." [18] In 1857, Cochlearia officinalis was described in The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics as "A gentle stimulant, aperient, and diuretic. It has long been esteemed as an antiscorbutic. It has also been used in visceral obstructions. It is occasionally eaten with bread and butter, like the water-cress." [19]

The leaves, which have a strong acrid, bitter, or peppery taste similar to the related horseradish and watercress, are also sometimes used in salads or eaten with bread and butter. [19]

Scurvy-grass sorrel (Oxalis enneaphylla) is an unrelated plant from southern South America and the Falkland Islands that was also used to treat scurvy.

Scurvy-grass and roads

The advent of modern fast roads treated with salt in winter for ice clearance has resulted in the colonisation by scurvy-grass of many inland areas where it formerly did not occur. The scurvy-grass seeds become trapped on car wheels, transported often for a considerable distance, and then washed off, to grow in the salt-rich soil at the side of the road where other plants cannot survive. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scurvy</span> Disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C

Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C. Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding from the skin may occur. As scurvy worsens, there can be poor wound healing, personality changes, and finally death from infection or bleeding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasabi</span> Species of edible plant

Wasabi or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russian Far East including Sakhalin, as well as the Korean Peninsula. It grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horseradish</span> Species of flowering plants in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

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Asparagus is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus native to Eurasia. Widely cultivated as a vegetable crop, its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable.

<i>Oxalis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Oxalis is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species diversity is particularly rich in tropical Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.

<i>Oxalis enneaphylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis enneaphylla, or scurvy grass, is a late spring- and summer-flowering, rhizomatous, alpine perennial herbaceous plant native to the grasslands of Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. It is a small plant that grows to 7 cm (2.8 in) high and 10 cm (3.9 in) across, with slightly fleshy, hairy, blue-grey leaves, which are edible but have a sharp taste due to their high oxalic acid content. The name enneaphylla comes from the Greek εννεα (ennea), "nine" and φυλλον (phyllon), "leaf".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf vegetable</span> Plant leaves eaten as a vegetable

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<i>Sonchus oleraceus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae

Sonchus oleraceus is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae of the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and Western Asia. It has many common names including common sowthistle, sow thistle, smooth sow thistle, annual sow thistle, hare's colwort, hare's thistle, milky tassel, milk thistle. and soft thistle.

<i>Cochlearia danica</i> Species of flowering plant

Cochlearia danica, or Danish scurvygrass, is a flowering plant of the genus Cochlearia in the family Brassicaceae.

<i>Cochlearia anglica</i> Species of flowering plant

Cochlearia anglica is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names English scurvygrass and long-leaved scurvy grass. It is a plant of the coastlines of Europe, especially the British Isles. It is edible, and as its name suggests, it is rich in vitamin C. It has spade-shaped leaves and white flowers.

<i>Cochlearia officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cochlearia officinalis, common scurvygrass, scurvy-grass, or spoonwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. The plant acquired its common name from the observation that it cured scurvy, and it was taken on board ships in dried bundles or distilled extracts. Its very bitter taste was usually disguised with herbs and spices; however, this did not prevent scurvygrass drinks and sandwiches becoming a popular fad in the UK until the middle of the nineteenth century, when citrus fruits became more readily available.

<i>Lepidium oleraceum</i> Species of flowering plant

Lepidium oleraceum is a herb in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to New Zealand. Its English common name is Cook's scurvy grass; Māori names include nau, ngau, naunau and heketara.

<i>Actinidia polygama</i> Species of plant

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References

  1. ↑ "Scurvy grass • Cochleria officinalis". Biodiversity of the Central Coast. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  2. ↑ "Cochlearia officinalis Scurvy Grass, Spoonwort PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  3. ↑ "Scurvy-grass - Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening wiki". www.gardenology.org. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  4. ↑ "Cochlearia officinalis (Scurvy Grass) - Practical Plants". practicalplants.org. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  5. ↑ Mullie, Patrick; Deliens, Tom; Clarys, Peter (2021). "Vitamin C in East-Greenland traditional nutrition: a reanalysis of the Høygaard nutritional data (1936-1937)". International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 80 (1): 1951471. doi:10.1080/22423982.2021.1951471. ISSN   1239-9736. PMC   8266228 . PMID   34232845.
  6. ↑ "Sessileleaf Scurvygrass – Flowering Plant Species of Alaska – Alaska Handbook". Alaska Handbook. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  7. ↑ "Scurvy grass (Cochlearia officinalis)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  8. ↑ "Cochlearia officinalis Scurvy Grass, Spoonwort PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  9. ↑ Angier, Bradford (1974). Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 198. ISBN   0-8117-0616-8. OCLC   799792.
  10. ↑ Packer, Lester; Fuchs, Jürgen (1997). Vitamin C in health and disease. New York: M. Dekker. pp. 11–17. ISBN   978-0824793135 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  11. 1 2 Brickley, Megan; Ives, Rachel (2008). The Bioarchaeology of Metabolic Bone Disease. Burlington: Elsevier. pp. 41–44. ISBN   9780080557915 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  12. ↑ Price, Catherine (2017). "The Age of Scurvy". Distillations. 3 (2): 12–23. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Discover the Heritage of the Tees". Gazette Live. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Blencowe, Robert Willis (1848). "Extracts from the Journal and Account Book of the Rev. Giles Moore". Sussex Archaeological Collections. 1. London: Sussex Archaeological Society; John Russell Smith: 87. doi: 10.5284/1086837 .
  15. ↑ Klenner, F.; Stone, Irwin; Cathcart, Robert (2018). 80 Years of High-Dose-Vitamin C Research. Books on Demand. p. 359. ISBN   978-3-7528-1275-6 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  16. ↑ Moellenbrock, Valentin Andreas; Sherley, Thomas (1675). Cochlearia curiosa: or The curiosities of scurvygrass. Being an exact scrutiny and careful description of the nature and medicinal vertue of scurvygrass. In which is exhibited to publick use the most and best preparations of medicines, both Galenical and chymical; either for internal or external use, in which that plant, or any part thereof is imployed. Written in Latine by Dr. Andreas Valentinus Molimbrochius of Lipswick. Englished by Tho. Sherley, M.D. and physitian in ordinary to His present Majesty. London: Printed by S. and B. Griffin for William Cademan. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  17. ↑ Kenny, Neil (2004). The uses of curiosity in early modern France and Germany. Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. p. 190. ISBN   9780199271368 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "An Accompt of Some Books". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 11 (123–132): 621. 1 January 1676. doi: 10.1098/rstl.1676.0015 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  19. 1 2 Pereira, Jonathan; Kilmer, Fred B. (1857). The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics. Vol. 2. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. p. 579. ISBN   9781278610887 . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  20. ↑ "The Use of Old Records - Some Worked Examples". wbrc.org.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
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