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Rumex acetosella
Also called Common Sheep Sorrel, Sheep sorrel, Field sorrel, Red (or sheep) sorrel, Red sorrel, Sheep's Sorrel Agg., Sorrel
Sheep's sorrel is a low perennial weed of the buckwheat family, native to Eurasia and now widespread across the Northern Hemisphere. It spreads by aggressive rhizomes and thrives on acidic, sandy, disturbed soils.
Rumex acetosella, commonly known as red sorrel, sheep's sorrel, field sorrel and sour weed, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Native to Eurasia including the British Isles, the plant and its subspecies are common perennial weeds. It has green arrowhead-shaped leaves and red-tinted deeply ridged stems, and it sprouts from an aggressive and spreading rhizome. The flowers emerge from a tall, upright stem. Female flowers are maroon in color.
The plant contains oxalic acid and derivatives, known as oxalates.
Native to Eurasia and the British Isles, R. acetosella has been introduced to most of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. It is commonly found on acidic, sandy soils in heaths and grassland. It is often one of the first species to take hold in disturbed areas, such as abandoned mining sites, especially if the soil is acidic.
The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, with the water changed to reduce its strong taste. The oxalic acid they contain lend them a somewhat sour taste. There are several uses of sheep sorrel in the preparation of food including a garnish, a tart flavoring agent, a salad green, and a curdling agent for milk in cheese-making. The leaves have a lemony, tangy or rhubarb-like tart flavor.
Sorrel · Curled Dock · Toothed dock · Cape spinach · Broad-leaved Dock · Patience Dock · Fiddle Dock · Garden Sorrel · Rambling dock · Willow dock · French sorrel · Dock
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rumex acetosella by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
