A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies
Abstract Pringlea antiscorbutica (Brassicaceae) and Azorella polaris (syn. Stilbocarpa polaris , Apiaceae) are endemic sub-Antarctic flowering plants of significant ecological and historical importance. Pringlea antiscorbutica occurs on Îles Kerguelen and Crozet, Prince Edward, and the Heard and Mac...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2024
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247424000019 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247424000019 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0032247424000019 2024-03-03T08:38:35+00:00 A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies Hartley, Karri Horton Guy, Paul L. Lord, Janice M. 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247424000019 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247424000019 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Polar Record volume 60 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development journal-article 2024 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247424000019 2024-02-08T08:36:07Z Abstract Pringlea antiscorbutica (Brassicaceae) and Azorella polaris (syn. Stilbocarpa polaris , Apiaceae) are endemic sub-Antarctic flowering plants of significant ecological and historical importance. Pringlea antiscorbutica occurs on Îles Kerguelen and Crozet, Prince Edward, and the Heard and MacDonald Islands; A. polaris on Auckland, Campbell, and Macquarie Islands. We examine the use of these unrelated species of “wild cabbage,” as scurvy remedies and sustenance for eighteenth–nineteenth-century sailors. We trace their European discovery, taxonomic treatment, morphological representation, and cultural association through the historical record. Scurvy killed more sailors during the sixteenth-nineteenth centuries than armed conflict and shipwrecks combined. Both plants were essential to the survival of sailors and formed a nutritious, carbohydrate-rich staple of their diets, however, attitudes to these plants were strongly influenced by cultural background. Use of P. antiscorbutica as a scurvy remedy was promoted by Cook and Anderson, leading to a greater historical legacy than A. polaris , and a unique contemporary research focus on the plant’s nutritional value and cultivation potential. In contrast, contemporary studies of A. polaris have been directed primarily at the plant’s protection. Pringlea antiscorbutica and A. polaris are intrinsically linked to human associations with the sub-Antarctic islands, which further increases their cultural and conservation value. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Polar Record Cambridge University Press Antarctic Kerguelen Îles Kerguelen ENVELOPE(69.167,69.167,-49.250,-49.250) Polar Record 60 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development Hartley, Karri Horton Guy, Paul L. Lord, Janice M. A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
description |
Abstract Pringlea antiscorbutica (Brassicaceae) and Azorella polaris (syn. Stilbocarpa polaris , Apiaceae) are endemic sub-Antarctic flowering plants of significant ecological and historical importance. Pringlea antiscorbutica occurs on Îles Kerguelen and Crozet, Prince Edward, and the Heard and MacDonald Islands; A. polaris on Auckland, Campbell, and Macquarie Islands. We examine the use of these unrelated species of “wild cabbage,” as scurvy remedies and sustenance for eighteenth–nineteenth-century sailors. We trace their European discovery, taxonomic treatment, morphological representation, and cultural association through the historical record. Scurvy killed more sailors during the sixteenth-nineteenth centuries than armed conflict and shipwrecks combined. Both plants were essential to the survival of sailors and formed a nutritious, carbohydrate-rich staple of their diets, however, attitudes to these plants were strongly influenced by cultural background. Use of P. antiscorbutica as a scurvy remedy was promoted by Cook and Anderson, leading to a greater historical legacy than A. polaris , and a unique contemporary research focus on the plant’s nutritional value and cultivation potential. In contrast, contemporary studies of A. polaris have been directed primarily at the plant’s protection. Pringlea antiscorbutica and A. polaris are intrinsically linked to human associations with the sub-Antarctic islands, which further increases their cultural and conservation value. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hartley, Karri Horton Guy, Paul L. Lord, Janice M. |
author_facet |
Hartley, Karri Horton Guy, Paul L. Lord, Janice M. |
author_sort |
Hartley, Karri Horton |
title |
A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies |
title_short |
A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies |
title_full |
A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies |
title_fullStr |
A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies |
title_full_unstemmed |
A tale of two species: Pringlea antiscorbutica and Azorella polaris , sub-Antarctic scurvy remedies |
title_sort |
tale of two species: pringlea antiscorbutica and azorella polaris , sub-antarctic scurvy remedies |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247424000019 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247424000019 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(69.167,69.167,-49.250,-49.250) |
geographic |
Antarctic Kerguelen Îles Kerguelen |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Kerguelen Îles Kerguelen |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Polar Record |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Polar Record |
op_source |
Polar Record volume 60 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247424000019 |
container_title |
Polar Record |
container_volume |
60 |
_version_ |
1792506993108320256 |