''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 30 species of annual and

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

and

arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

areas of the

northern hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

, most commonly found in

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

al regions, on

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

-tops and

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

es where their high tolerance of

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

enables them to avoid competition from larger, but less salt-tolerant plants; they also occur in

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

habitats in

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

s and

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

. They form low, rounded or creeping plants, typically 5–20 cm tall. The leaves are smoothly rounded, roughly spoon-shaped (the scientific name ''Cochlearia'' derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

ized form, ''cocleare'', of the Greek κοχλιάριον, ''kokhliárion'', a spoon; this a diminutive of κόχλος, ''kókhlos'', seashell), or in some species, lobed; typically 1–5 cm long, and with a fleshy texture. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white with four petals and are borne in short

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

Selected species

About 30 species are usually accepted; several others usually treated as subspecies of ''C. officinalis'' are accepted as distinct species by some botanists. *''

Cochlearia acutangula ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia aestuaria ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' – Estuarine scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia alatipes ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia anglica ''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, a ...

'' – English scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia aragonensis ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia changhuaensis ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia cyclocarpa ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' – Roundfruit scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia danica ''Cochlearia danica'', or Danish scurvygrass, is a flowering plant of the genus ''Cochlearia'' in the family Brassicaceae. A salt-tolerant (normally) coastal plant which is now flourishing along roads and motorways in Europe, especially under t ...

'' – Early or Danish scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia fenestrata ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' – Arctic scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia formosana ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia excelsa ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of Annual plant, annual and perennial plant, perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the Northern Hemisp ...

'' *''

Cochlearia fumarioides ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia furcatopilosa ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia glastifolia ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia groenlandica ''Cochlearia groenlandica'', known in English as Danish scurvygrass or Greenland scurvy-grass, is a flowering plant of the genus ''Cochlearia'' in the family Brassicaceae. ''Cochlearia groenlandica'' grows as a solitary plants, the size of the i ...

'' – Greenland scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia henryi ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *'' Cochlearia hui'' *'' Cochlearia lichuanensis'' *''

Cochlearia longistyla ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia megalosperma ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' *''

Cochlearia microcarpa ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in ...

'' *''

Cochlearia oblongifolia ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in co ...

'' – East Asian scurvy-grass *''

Cochlearia officinalis ''Cochlearia officinalis'', common scurvygrass, scurvy-grass, or spoonwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. The plant acquired its common name from the observation that it cured scurvy, and it was taken on board ship ...

'' – Common scurvy-grass (including ''C. excelsa'', ''C. pyrenaica'', ''C. scotica'') *''

Cochlearia paradoxa ''Cochlearia'' (scurvy-grass or spoonwort) is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs in the family Brassicaceae. They are widely distributed in temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, most commonly found in ...

'' *'' Cochlearia rivulorum'' *'' Cochlearia rupicola'' *'' Cochlearia sessilifolia'' – Sessile-leaved or Alaskan scurvy-grass *'' Cochlearia sinuata'' *''

Cochlearia tatrae ''Cochlearia tatrae'', the Tatra scurvy-grass, is a flowering plant of the genus ''Cochlearia'' in the family Brassicaceae. The plant is endemic to and named after the Tatra Mountains, which in northern Slovakia and southern Poland. The plant bl ...

'' *'' Cochlearia tridactylites'' – Three-fingered scurvy-grass *'' Cochlearia warburgii'' Two species formerly included in the genus ''Cochlearia'' are now usually treated in separate genera: * Horseradish ''Armoracia rusticana'' (previously ''Cochlearia armoracia'') *