23 Jun 2021

Our Changing World - Scurvy saviour fights for survival

From Afternoons, 3:35 pm on 23 June 2021

It helped Captain Cook's sailors stay afloat in the 18th century but these days Cook's scurvy grass is fighting for its own life.

The sub-species of coastal cress was used by the English explorer to ward off the vitamin C deficiency, scurvy, but it's now considered a threatened species.

However the plant is being monitored and nurtured at a Christchurch Reserve, alongside another trial of a rare native butterfly.

Katy Gosset pays a visit and meets the volunteers who are helping to make a difference.

An image of Charlesworth Reserve showing a wetland area in the foreground with harakeke and trees in the background.

Charlesworth Reserve Photo: RNZ/Katy Gosset

The logo of Nga Taonga Sound and Vision a service providing archival material. The logo ressembles an eye.

Photo: Nga Taonga Sound and Vision