Cochlearia anglica

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves

Young leaves and flower heads can be eaten raw, though they are bitter, and are used as a flavouring in salads. The leaves are very rich in vitamin C, though most people will find the pungent flavour unappealing. The plant is also used as a spice, though the specific part used is not recorded.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant.

Britain, Europe,

How to Identify

Biennial or perennial herb reaching 30 centimeters tall. Hermaphroditic flowers bloom April to July, seeds mature July to September. Self-fertile and pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles. Grows in sandy, loamy, or clay soils across mildly acidic to basic pH ranges, including saline soils. Requires full sun and moist to wet conditions. Tolerates maritime exposure well.

How to Grow

Prefers a cool shady position. Grows well on acid or calcareous soils but it avoids shady positions in the wild. Prefers a sandy or gritty well-drained soil. Hybridizes with C. officinalis.

Propagation: Sow seed in spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2–3 weeks at 15°c.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are very rich in vitamin C.

Other Uses

None known Special Uses

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.

Notes

There are about 25 Cochlearia species.

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