Wild Harris
Scurvygrass
Common Scurvy Grass (Photo: Laurie Campbell)
The scurvy grass is not a grass at all. Like most plants that grow near the coast it has fleshy leaves. These have an unpleasant smell and taste bitter.
It gets its name from when sailors used to chew it on long voyages to prevent the nasty disease called scurvy. It is now known that this is because the leaves are rich in vitamin C (which helps prevent scurvy).
It is a member of the cabbage family, and the flower has four white petals.
by Alison Tyler