Cochlearia officinalis - Common Scurvy-grass (Brassicaceae)

The shaded hedgerows and ditches of Pembrokeshire are lit up in springtime by the brilliant white but short-lived flower-masses of scurvy-grass. This plant is particularly common near the coast.

Here Common Scurvygrass flowers with Primroses (Primula vulgaris) and Lesser Celandines (Ranunculus ficaria).

The first flowers appear in April, but May is the best month for this member of the cabbage family. You will see odd patches of scurvy-grass in bloom throughout the summer.

Usually keeping low with its succulent lower leaves hard against the ground and varying from dark green to red and even deep purple, this is an untidy plant best admired in masses from some distance. The small four-petalled flowers soon fall and swollen seed pods develop.

Close-up picture of Common Scurvygrass

Sailors ate scurvy-grass when at sea to ward off the debilitating disease of scurvy, which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. The symptoms of scurvy are spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding beneath the skin, and extreme weakness. The sharp-tasting leaves of this plant are very high in vitamin C, and at one time scurvy-grass ale was a popular tonic drink.

The plants on this page were photographed on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in early spring.