Kerguelen cabbage
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| Pringlea antiscorbutica Hook. f. |
Kerguelen cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica) is a flowering plant in the Family Brassicaceae and thus related to cabbage. The species grows on the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Crozet, Prince Edward, Marion and Kerguelen Islands. These remote islands are at roughly 50º South Latitude, constantly buffeted by strong winds. This makes pollination by flying insects impractical, explaining why the Kerguelen cabbage is self-pollinating. At the mature stage, this species exhibits several adaptations linked to cold tolerance such as high polyamine levels, potential adaptations and polyamine response.
Pringlea antiscorbutica is a plant which looks somewhat like the common cabbage and belongs to the same family (Brassicaceae). It was named after the island of its discovery, Kerguelen Island, and its generic name derives from Sir John Pringle, President of the Royal Society at the time of its discovery by Captain James Cook's Surgeon, William Anderson in 1776.
The plant is edible, containing high levels of potassium. Its leaves contain a Vitamin C-rich oil, a fact which, in the days of sailing ships, made it very attractive to British sailors suffering from scurvy, hence the species name, which means "against scurvy" in Latin.
The micropezid fly species Calycopteryx mosleyi is associated with this plant. Both are endangered by rabbits which feed on the cabbage.
