in taxon leafy vegetable plant scurvy-grass plant scurvy-grass PLANTS:COOF4 MANSFELD:23616 Scurvy-grass (*Cochlearia* species; a.k.a. Scurvy grass, Scurvygrass, or Spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the cabbage 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. Scurvy-grass was extensively eaten in the past by sailors suffering from scurvy after returning from long voyages, as the leaves are rich in vitamin C, which cures this deficiency disease resulting from a lack of fresh vegetables in the diet. The leaves, which have a strong peppery taste similar to the related horseradish and watercress, are also sometimes used in salads. cochlearia officinalis scurvygrass spoonwort spoonwort brassica species Cochlearia officinalis requires discussion