Editing Cochlearia (section)

{{short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Italic title}}
{{redirect|Scurvy-grass|another plant with this name|Oxalis enneaphylla}}
{{For|the small Roman spoons| Cochlearium}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|name = Scurvy-grass
|image = Cochlearia excelsa.jpg
|image_caption = ''Cochlearia officinalis'' subsp. ''pyrenaica''
|taxon = Cochlearia
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = About 25 species, see text
}}

'''''Cochlearia''''' ('''scurvy-grass''' or '''spoonwort''') is a [[genus]] of about 30 species of [[Annual plant|annual]] and [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[herb]]s in the family [[Brassicaceae]]. They are widely distributed in [[temperate]] and [[arctic]] areas of the [[Northern Hemisphere|northern hemisphere]], most commonly found in [[coast]]al regions, on [[cliff]]-tops and [[salt marsh]]es where their high tolerance of [[sodium chloride|salt]] enables them to avoid competition from larger, but less salt-tolerant plants; they also occur in [[Alpine climate|alpine]] habitats in [[mountain]]s and [[tundra]].

They form low, rounded or creeping plants, typically 5–20&nbsp;cm tall. The leaves are smoothly rounded, roughly [[spoon]]-shaped (the scientific name ''Cochlearia'' derives from the [[Latin]]ized form, ''cocleare'', of the [[Greek language|Greek]] κοχλιάριον, ''kokhliárion'', a spoon; this a diminutive of κόχλος, ''kókhlos'', seashell), or in some species, lobed; typically 1–5&nbsp;cm long, and with a fleshy texture. The [[flower]]s are white with four petals and are borne in short [[raceme]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scurvy grass • Cochleria officinalis |url=https://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/scurvy-grass-bullnbspcochleria-officinalis.html |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=Biodiversity of the Central Coast |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cochlearia officinalis Scurvy Grass, Spoonwort PFAF Plant Database |url=https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cochlearia+officinalis |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=pfaf.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scurvy-grass - Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening wiki |url=https://www.gardenology.org/wiki/Scurvy-grass |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=www.gardenology.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cochlearia officinalis (Scurvy Grass) - Practical Plants |url=https://practicalplants.org/wiki/cochlearia_officinalis/ |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=practicalplants.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mullie |first1=Patrick |last2=Deliens |first2=Tom |last3=Clarys |first3=Peter |title=Vitamin C in East-Greenland traditional nutrition: a reanalysis of the Høygaard nutritional data (1936-1937) |journal=International Journal of Circumpolar Health |date=2021 |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=1951471 |doi=10.1080/22423982.2021.1951471 |issn=1239-9736 |pmc=8266228 |pmid=34232845}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Sessileleaf Scurvygrass – Flowering Plant Species of Alaska – Alaska Handbook |language=en-US |work=Alaska Handbook |url=https://www.alaskahandbook.com/nature/sessileleaf-scurvygrass/ |access-date=2023-12-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scurvy grass (Cochlearia officinalis) |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55838-Cochlearia-officinalis |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=iNaturalist |language=en}}</ref>