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Sorrel

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is also called common sorrel, meadow sorrel, green sorrel, sour dock, spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ("dock" often used for the genus).[2][3]

Sorrel
Plant habit, Muséum de Toulouse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Rumex
Species:
R. acetosa
Binomial name
Rumex acetosa
Synonyms[1]
  • Acetosa agrestis Raf.
  • Acetosa amplexicaulis Raf.
  • Acetosa angustata Raf.
  • Acetosa bidentula Raf.
  • Acetosa fontanopaludosa (Kalela) Holub
  • Acetosa hastifolia Schur
  • Acetosa hastulata Raf.
  • Acetosa magna Gilib.
  • Acetosa officinalis Gueldenst. ex Ledeb.
  • Acetosa olitoria Raf.
  • Acetosa pratensis Garsault nom. inval.
  • Acetosa pratensis Mill.
  • Acetosa subalpina Schur
  • Rumex biformis Lange
  • Rumex fontanopaludosus Kalela

The species is native to Eurasia and a common wild plant in grassland habitats. It is often consumed as a leaf vegetable or herb, and has a cultigen, called Rumex rugosus and garden sorrel, that is typically the taxon found in gardens and sold by commercial suppliers.[4][5][6]

Description

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Sorrel is a slender herbaceous perennial plant about 60 centimetres (24 inches) high,[7] with roots that run deep into the ground, as well as juicy stems and arrow-shaped (sagittate) leaves which grow from a rosette.[8][9] The lower leaves are 7 to 15 cm (3 to 6 in) in length with long petioles and a membranous ocrea formed of fused, sheathing stipules. The upper leaves are sessile, (growing directly from the stem without a petiole) and frequently become crimson.

The plant has whorled spikes of reddish-green flowers, which bloom in early summer, becoming purplish.[10][2] The species is dioecious, with stamens and pistils on different plants.[2]

Subspecies

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Several subspecies have been named.[2] Not all are cultivated.

  • Rumex acetosa subsp. acetosa
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. ambiguus
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. arifolius
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. hibernicus
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. hirtulus
  • Rumex acetosa subsp. vinealis

Distribution and habitat

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Rumex acetosa occurs in grassland habitats throughout Europe from the northern Mediterranean coast to the north of Scandinavia and in parts of Central Asia. It occurs as an introduced species in parts of New Zealand, Australia, and North America.[11] It can grow in poor soil.[8]

Ecology

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The leaves are eaten by the larvae of several species of Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) including the blood-vein moth, aphids and by non-specialized snails and slugs.[9]

Uses

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Sorrel soup with egg and croutons, part of Polish cuisine

Common sorrel has been cultivated for centuries. The leaves are edible when young but toughen with age; they may be puréed in soups and sauces or added to salad.[8] The young shoots are edible as well, these and the leaves both being high in vitamin C and having a lemony flavor.[7]

In India, the leaves are used in soups or curries made with yellow lentils and peanuts. In Afghanistan, the leaves are coated in a wet batter and deep fried, then served as an appetizer or, when in season during Ramadan, to break the fast. In Armenia, the leaves are collected in spring, woven into braids, and dried for use during winter. The most common preparation is aveluk soup, where the leaves are rehydrated and rinsed to reduce bitterness, then stewed with onions, potatoes, walnuts, garlic and bulgur wheat or lentils, and sometimes sour plums.

Throughout eastern Europe, wild or garden sorrel is used to make sour soups, stewed with vegetables or herbs, meat or eggs. In rural Greece, it is used with spinach, leeks, and chard in spanakopita.

"Escalope de saumon à l'oseille" (salmon escalope in sorrel sauce), invented in 1962 by the Troisgros brothers, is an emblematic dish of French nouvelle cuisine.[12][13] French cuisine traditionally cooks fish with sorrel because its acidity dissolves thin fish bones.[14]

In the Caribbean, the term "sorrel" refers to a type of sweet hibiscus tea commonly made from the African roselle flower,[15] unrelated to the Eurasian sorrel herb.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species", Theplantlist.org, archived from the original on 1 April 2019, retrieved 10 May 2016
  2. 1 2 3 4 Stace, C. A. (2010). New Flora of the British Isles (Third ed.). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. p. 446. ISBN 9780521707725.
  3. ↑ "Rumex acetosa (RUMAC)". EPPO Global Database. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Groom, Quentin (19 January 2011). "Rumex rugosus". Manual of the Alien Plants of Belgium. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Rumex rugosus (RUMAH)". EPPO Global Database. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026. Known only in cultivation
  6. ↑ Heywood, Vernon H.; Zohary, Daniel (1995). "A catalogue of the wild relatives of cultivated plants native to Europe" (PDF). Flora Mediterranea. 5: 375–41. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4729-8474-6.
  8. 1 2 3 Lyle, Katie Letcher (2010) [2004]. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them (2nd ed.). Guilford, CN: FalconGuides. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-1-59921-887-8. OCLC 560560606.
  9. 1 2 Korpelainen, Helena; Pietiläinen, Maria (December 2020). "Sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.): Not Only a Weed but a Promising Vegetable and Medicinal Plant". The Botanical Review. 86 (3–4): 241. Bibcode:2020BotRv..86..234K. doi:10.1007/s12229-020-09225-z. hdl:10138/326558. ISSN 0006-8101. S2CID 221110563.
  10. ↑ Blamey, M.; Fitter, R.; Fitter, A (2003). Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora. London: A & C Black. p. 64. ISBN 978-1408179505.
  11. ↑ "Global spread map". Linnaeus.nrm.se. Archived from the original (JPG) on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  12. ↑ Miller, Bryan; Franey, Pierre (12 July 1995). "GREAT COOKS; Finesse Times Two". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  13. ↑ Boulud, Daniel; Greenspan, Dorie (1999). Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook. Scribner. ISBN 978-0684863436. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  14. ↑ Le Règne végétal. Librairie des sciences naturelles. 1864. p. 480.
  15. ↑ "Sorrel Drink, A Caribbean Favorite During The Christmas Season". Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "A hibiscus drink, by any of its names, is sweet". Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
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