Description
Rumex acetosella | Field Sorrel
Field Sorrel, also known as Sheep Sorrel, Common Sorrel, Garden Sorrel, Red Sorrel, Spinach Dock, Narrow-leaf Dock, and Sour Weed, is a perennial herb and is one of the most widely available edible plant to forage for in the United States, easily found and identified in disturbed soils, along roadsides, and neglected fields. It grows particularly well where blueberries grow, since they thrive in acidic, sandy soils in the same pH range. Field Sorrel grows in rosette clumps of arrow-shaped leaves that are joined underground by a creeping root system. In spring, each rosette forms a reddish upright flower stem 4 to 10 inches in height, rarely reaching above one foot, continuing to bloom from May to October.
plant is unisexual, so each plant contains only male or female flowers, never both.
Female flowers are typically green while male flowers are generally yellow to red. The stamens close after pollination occurs.
Rumex acetosella is dioecious meaning all flowers on one plant are either male or female, never both. Female flowers are typically green, while male flowers are generally yellow to red. Sheep Sorrel can be invasive as plants reproduce via seed and by spreading its horizontal roots underground. Although this plant can be invasive, we have learned to embrace it because it’s so incredibly important and well recognized within the alternative treatment community as one of the 4 primary ingredients in the Essiac tea formula. Historically, Sheep Sorrel has been used to treat a variety of issues. Every single part of this plant can be used. It’s considered to be a rich source of vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids. Although the leaves are small and time-consuming to gather, they are delicious to eat and have a lemony, tangy, or nicely tart flavor. The leaves can treat the stings of nettles, bees, and ants since Rumex plants contain an alkali that neutralizes the acidic bite, removing the pain. Seeds can be eaten raw or cooked.
The original 4 herb Essaic formula consists of:
Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella),
Burdock Root (Arctium lappa),
Slippery Elm Bark (Ulmus flilva),
Turkish Rhubarb Root (Rheum palmatum)
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
Height: 4-16 inches
Mature width-
Hardiness zones: 3-10