A Seafaring Relic

Looking for something other than Camellias to brighten the winter gloom, I scrolled through the Biodiversity Group’s records for February to see what we might find on a gentle stroll.

We have records of many different birds and a surprising number of bumblebee sightings, mainly the Buff-tailed species, like the one in last week’s article. The 45 plants recorded for February include the usual suspects such as Snowdrops and Primroses, but now is the time that Scurvy-grass is coming into flower.

A member of the cabbage family, Cochlearia species are small edible plants with four-petalled white flowers. They have a peppery taste similar to cress and they tend to live near the sea. Like many of the plants in our beach garden, they are halophytes, they can cope with a certain amount of salt in the groundwater. They have a reputation for being rich in vitamin C and there are stories that leaves would be eaten by sailors returning after a long voyage to cure any scurvy that had built up while at sea, hence the common name Scurvy-grass.

There are three main species, Common (which it isn’t), English(not exclusively) and Danish (a British native). The Scurvy-grass that grows around Sidmouth is the so-called Danish species. It has leaves similar in shape to Ivy but, like many halophytes, the leaves are quite fleshy. It tends to grow in cracks and crevices where buildings and pavements meet. There is a substantial colony on the roadway down to Jacob’s Ladder.

It is not clear how we have Danish Scurvy-grass because it wasn’t here 175 years ago. In his Flora Sidostiensis, amateur botanist Dr Cullen makes no mention of it. He records English Scurvy-grass with its spoon shaped leaves at the mouth of the River Otter. It is such an obvious plant in early spring, he would not have missed it if it was growing in Sidmouth.

There are stories of the seeds being spread on the boots and nets of fishermen and our local fleet, which was still very active a hundred years ago, may explain its arrival. In modern times, Scurvy-grass has spread inland, initially from ports such as Dover and Felixstowe, probably on the wheels of incoming lorries.

Our habit of spreading salt on roads in winter has created a perfect habitat for the plant along the centre reservations of main roads coming inland from ports. If you are stuck in a jam on the M2 in spring you can brighten your stop by looking into the centre reservation where you will see a mass of tiny white flowers living happily on an artificial salty beach.

Ed Dolphin