# Common Sorrel (*Rumex acetosa*)

Common Sorrel is a leafy plant with a tangy taste. It grows in gardens and fields and is often used in salads. Its bright green leaves are shaped like arrows!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Common Sorrel](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/20150423Rumex_acetosa4.jpg&width=800)

Photo: AnRo0002, CC0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20150423Rumex_acetosa4.jpg)

## Appearance

The Common Sorrel has distinctive long, green, arrow-shaped leaves that form a basal rosette. Its slender, often reddish stems bear airy spikes of tiny, reddish-green flowers. This plant stands out with its upright stature and unique leaf form.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Caryophyllales
- **Family:** Polygonaceae
- **Genus:** Rumex

## Interesting facts

- Eating too much raw sorrel can make your teeth feel fuzzy, like spinach!
- In some places, its leaves were traditionally used to curdle milk for making cheese!
- Its name 'Sorrel' comes from an old French word meaning 'sour,' describing its taste!
- Vikings might have carried sorrel seeds for its tangy leaves on long voyages!

## Special abilities

- **Sour Power Defense:** Common Sorrel has oxalic acid in its leaves that gives it a tangy taste, helping deter many hungry herbivores.
- **Root Resilience:** It has a deep taproot that helps it find water and nutrients deep underground, allowing it to survive dry periods.
- **Speedy Sprouter:** Common Sorrel can grow quickly in spring, getting a head start over other plants for sunlight and space.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-100 cm
- **Spread:** 20-40 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late_spring_to_summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [European Rabbit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-rabbit) (*Oryctolagus cuniculus*) — Leaves are a food source.
- **Eats:** Brown Argus butterfly (*Aricia agestis*) — Larvae feed on leaves.
- **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits flowers for pollen.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before tasting wild plants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Common Sorrel?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Common Sorrel?

30-100 cm

### How wide does Common Sorrel spread?

20-40 cm

### How big are the flowers on Common Sorrel?

0.2-0.3 cm

### When does Common Sorrel bloom?

Late_spring_to_summer

### Is Common Sorrel edible?

Yes

### Is Common Sorrel toxic?

Mild

### What is Common Sorrel's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Common Sorrel: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-sorrel)