Oysterplant

Mertensia maritima is known as the oyster leaf or oyster plant because it gives off a faint smell of mushrooms and when eaten it tastes vaguely of oysters. The chemical that gives this plant the oyster-like odour when its leaves are crushed is dimethyl sulphide, a compound that is noted for being a major part of the odour profile of raw oysters. It is native to Britain and Northern Europe; however, populations in the British Isles are decreasing. There are two other varieties that exist:

M. maritima var. tenella is found in Canada and Spitzbergen M. maritima var. asiatica is found in Alaska and Northeastern Asia This plant grows on sand or shingle beaches where the ground can be siliceous or calcareous, and contains humus from decaying seaweed. It mainly grows in a sub-Arctic climate and is exposed to very cold temperatures, waves that crash on the shore and strong winds. Since the plant grows in a cold climate, the seeds remain dormant. Skarpaas and Stabbetorp noted that a cold period (about 2 °C (36 °F)) was needed to break this dormancy.