Cochlearia officinalis

Last updated

Cochlearia officinalis
Cochlearia officinalis - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-186.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Cochlearia
Species:
C. officinalis
Binomial name
Cochlearia officinalis
L.

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.

Contents

Description

Cochlearia officinalis is a biennial/perennial, [1] growing to 10–50 cm (3.9–19.7 in). [2] The stems are hairless and long stalked with fleshy leaves. The leaves are heart or kidney shaped, the lower stems leaves form a rosette around the base of the plant. [2] It is in flower from May to August, [3] they are small, and come in white or lilac, [1] with four daisy-like petals. [2] The seeds ripen from July to September, [3] they are globe shaped. The small, round seeds are reddish brown. [2] The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles. The plant is self-fertile. It is also noted for attracting wildlife and not being frost tender. [3]

Taxonomy

It is commonly known as 'common scurvy-grass', [2] [4] [5] 'scurvy-grass' and 'spoonwort'. [6]

It was formally described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in his seminal publication 'Species Plantarum' in 1753, on page 647. [7] [8]

The specific epithet officinalis refers to the Linnaean term for plants with an established medicinal, culinary, or other use. [9]

It has one known subspecies, Cochlearia officinalis subsp. integrifolia(Hartm.) Nordal & Stabbetorp. [8]

Distribution and habitat

Cochlearia officinalis in Prague Cochlearia officinalis Prague 2012 1.jpg
Cochlearia officinalis in Prague

Cochlearia officinalis is a temperate native to Europe. [4] [6]

Range

It is found within Eastern Europe, in the Russian Federation, (within the Administrative centre of Arkhangelsk, Komi, Murmansk and Nenets). In Central Europe, within Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. In Northern Europe, within Iceland, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and in Southwestern Europe within France. [6]

It has also naturalised in other parts of Europe such as Italy and Spain. [6]

Habitat

It grows in the coastal and mountainous regions of Europe, including the Alps. [4] In Ireland, it prefers saltmarshes, coastal cliffs and walls, and rocky, muddy seashores. [1] In Northern Scandinavia, it grows in gravel beaches, crevices in beach cliffs and salt marshes. [10]

Uses

It was once used by herbalists as a cure for scurvy, as the plant contains Vitamin C. [2] Nicholas Culpeper wrote of scurvygrass in his book, 'Complete Herbal', that its chief good effect is when used 'by those that have the scurvy' and that it 'is of singular good effect to cleanse the blood, liver and spleen, taking the juice in the Spring every morning fasting in a cup of drink'. [1]

The leaves were also made into a beer called scurvygrass ale, [2] it has been occasionally re-made as a craft ale. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bistorta officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae

Bistorta officinalis, known as bistort, common bistort, European bistort or meadow bistort, is a species of flowering plant in the dock family Polygonaceae native to Europe and northern and western Asia. Other common names include snakeroot, snake-root, snakeweed and Easter-ledges.

<i>Ficaria verna</i> Species of flowering plant in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)

Ficaria verna, commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and Western Asia. It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright yellow, glossy petals. It is now introduced in North America, where it is known by the common name fig buttercup and considered an invasive species. The plant is poisonous if ingested raw and potentially fatal to grazing animals and livestock such as horses, cattle, and sheep. For these reasons, several US states have banned the plant or listed it as a noxious weed. It prefers bare, damp ground and is considered by horticulturalists in the United Kingdom as a persistent garden weed; nevertheless, many specialist plantsmen, nursery owners and discerning gardeners in the UK and Europe collect selected cultivars of the plant, including bronze-leaved and double-flowered ones. Emerging in late winter with flowers appearing late February through May in the UK, its appearance across the landscape is regarded by many as a harbinger of spring.

<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".

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

Cochlearia 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.

<i>Althaea officinalis</i> Species of plant

Althaea officinalis, the marsh mallow or marshmallow, is a species of flowering plant indigenous to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, which is used in herbalism and as an ornamental plant. A confection made from the root since ancient Egyptian times evolved into today's marshmallow treat, but most modern marshmallow treats no longer contain any marsh-mallow root.

<i>Saponaria officinalis</i> Species of plant

Saponaria officinalis is a common perennial plant from the family Caryophyllaceae. This plant has many common names, including common soapwort, bouncing-bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and soapweed. There are about 20 species of soapworts altogether.

<i>Parnassia palustris</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae

Parnassia palustris, the marsh grass of Parnassus, northern grass-of-Parnassus, or just grass-of-Parnassus, and bog star, is a flowering plant in the staff-vine family Celastraceae.

<i>Raphanus raphanistrum</i> Species of flowering plant

Raphanus raphanistrum, also known as wild radish, white charlock or jointed charlock, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. One of its subspecies, Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, includes a diverse variety of cultivated radishes. The species is native to western Asia, Europe and parts of Northern Africa. It has been introduced into most parts of the world and is regarded as a habitat threatening invasive species in many areas, for example, Australia. It spreads rapidly and is often found growing on roadsides or in other places where the ground has been disturbed.

<i>Smyrnium olusatrum</i> Species of flowering plant

Smyrnium olusatrum, common name alexanders is an edible flowering plant of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), which grows on waste ground and in hedges around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal regions of Europe. It was formerly widely grown as a pot herb, but is now appreciated mostly by foragers.

<i>Melilotus officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae

Melilotus officinalis, known as sweet yellow clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot and common melilot, is a species of legume native to Eurasia and introduced in North America, Africa, and Australia.

<i>Veronica beccabunga</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica beccabunga, the European speedwell or brooklime, is a succulent herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the flowering plant family Plantaginaceae. It grows on the margins of brooks and ditches in Europe, North Africa, and north and western Asia. It can be found on other continents as an introduced species. It has smooth spreading succulent branches that are often reddish, blunt oblong finely serrate leaves in opposite pairs close to the stem, and small bright blue or pink flowers with four petals.

<i>Arabis hirsuta</i> Species of plant

Arabis hirsuta, known as hairy rock-cress, is a flowering plant of the genus Arabis in the family Brassicaceae. In previous North American works, this species has been broadly defined to include plants native to Europe, Asia, and the northern half of North America, but is now more often restricted to a narrower subgroup restricted to Europe.

<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>Cakile maritima</i> Species of plant

Cakile maritima, sea rocket or European searocket, is a common plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae. It is widespread in Europe, North Africa and western Asia, especially on coastlines. It can now be found in many other areas of the world where it has been introduced. It is present on the west and east coasts of North America, where it has the potential to become an invasive species. This is an annual plant which grows in clumps or mounds in the sand on beaches and bluffs. The shiny leaves are fleshy, green and tinted with purple or magenta, and long-lobed. It has white to light purple flowers and sculpted, segmented, corky brown fruits one to three centimetres long. The fruits float and are water-dispersed.

<i>Diplotaxis muralis</i> Species of plant

Diplotaxis muralis, the annual wall-rocket, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. This plant is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, but it is found throughout the temperate world, where it has naturalized. This is an erect mustard-like plant rarely reaching half a meter in height. It has lobed leaves and its stems are topped with dense inflorescences of yellow, or occasionally light purple, flowers with small oval petals and large anthers. The fruit is a podlike silique two to four centimeters long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norrard Rocks</span>

The Norrard (Northern) Rocks are a group of small uninhabited granite rocks in the north–western part of the Isles of Scilly, to the west of Bryher and Samson. In 1971 they were designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their breeding seabird colonies and they are permanently closed to landings from boat passengers. The vegetation on the islands is limited by the extreme exposure and only six species of flowering plants have been recorded.

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

Cochlearia groenlandica, known in English as Danish scurvygrass or Greenland scurvy-grass, is a flowering plant of the genus Cochlearia in the family Brassicaceae.

<i>Lepidium heterophyllum</i> Species of plant

Lepidium heterophyllum,, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of western Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivated fields.

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

Lepidium coronopus,, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of Africa, western Asia and Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivated fields.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Information on Common Scurvygrass". wildflowersofireland.net. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain. Reader's Digest. 1981. p. 55. ISBN   9780276002175.
  3. 1 2 3 "Cochlearia officinalis - L." Plants For A Future. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Cochlearia officinalis". rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  5. David Chapman (2008). Exploring the Cornish Coast. Penzance: Alison Hodge. p. 80. ISBN   9780906720561.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Taxon: Cochlearia officinalis L." npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. "Brassicaceae Cochlearia officinalis L." ipni.org. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Cochlearia officinalis L. is an accepted name". theplantlist.org. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  9. Stearn, William T. (2004). Botanical Latin. Timber Press (OR). p. 456. ISBN   0-88192-627-2.
  10. Brandrud, Marie K.; Paun, Ovidiu; Lorenzo, Maria T.; Nordal, Inger; Brysting, Anne K. (2017). "RADseq provides evidence for parallel ecotypic divergence in the autotetraploid Cochlearia officinalis in Northern Norway". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 5573. Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.5573B. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05794-z. PMC   5514025 . PMID   28717144.
  11. "52 WEEKS OF HISTORICAL HOW-TO'S, WEEK 26: BREWING SCURVY GRASS ALE!". 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2017.