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PlantFiles: Sheep's Sorrel, Red Sorrel, Sour Weed
Rumex acetosella

 
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Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Rumex (ROO-meks) (Info)
Species: acetosella (a-kee-TOE-sell-uh) (Info)

Synonym:Acetosella vulgaris

Category:
Herbs
Perennials

Height:
6-12 in. (15-30 cm)
12-18 in. (30-45 cm)

Spacing:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)

Hardiness:
Unknown - Tell us

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade
Light Shade

Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Bloom Color:
Red

Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Mid Fall
Late Fall/Early Winter

Foliage:
Herbaceous

Other details:
May be a noxious weed or invasive
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season

Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)

Patent Information:
Unknown - Tell us

Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
Direct sow as soon as the ground can be worked
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost

Seed Collecting:
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds

By Baa
Thumbnail #1 of Rumex acetosella by Baa

By poppysue
Thumbnail #2 of Rumex acetosella by poppysue

By trilian15
Thumbnail #3 of Rumex acetosella by trilian15

By kennedyh
Thumbnail #4 of Rumex acetosella by kennedyh

By mgarr
Thumbnail #5 of Rumex acetosella by mgarr

By kennedyh
Thumbnail #6 of Rumex acetosella by kennedyh

By kennedyh
Thumbnail #7 of Rumex acetosella by kennedyh

There are a total of 9 photos.
Click here to view them all!

Profile:

1 positive
3 neutrals
2 negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

RatingAuthorComment
Positive PatriotSniper On Aug 4, 2008, PatriotSniper from Las Vegas, NV wrote:

Above it says that all parts of this plant are poisonous, I'm confused.

Sheep Sorrel (rumex acetosella) is one of the 4 ingredients in Essiac Tea (there were originaly 8 ingredients but though research it was narrowed to only 4). Essiac Tea is an old indian remedy for cancer among other things. I drink it daily.

In Essiac Tea you must also include the roots of the Sheep Sorrel to be effective.

Essiac Tea can be drank by those not wishing to get cancer also, as one in your arsenal of "herbals" to fight cancer and other ailments.

One place (and there are others) to read about Essiac Tea on the internet is [HYPERLINK@www.healthfreedom.info]

This is my first post but I'm sure I'll be back :)

Neutral MotherNature4 On Apr 27, 2006, MotherNature4 from Bartow, FL
(Zone 9a) wrote:

I would not want this in my yard, but it grows in fields around here. I used to gather the blooms & leaves, boil them, then use the strained liquid to make a delicious and beautiful jelly.

Negative berrygirl On Apr 26, 2006, berrygirl from Braselton, GA
(Zone 7b) wrote:

Is there a rating worse than negative? This weed has been a nightmare for me for about 3 years now. It has overtaken several flower beds and a good portion of grass. We have pulled and dug so many times and probably put down a million pages of newspaper trying to keep it from coming back. The runner roots go for miles!

Negative CaptMicha On Sep 25, 2005, CaptMicha from Brookeville, MD
(Zone 7a) wrote:

These weed is horribly invasive. It grows anywhere, under any conditions.

If you try to remove a plant, it gets cut off below the soil line and you get more plants in place of that one.

Neutral Heels On Jan 29, 2003, Heels from Newton, NJ wrote:

This is an indicator of increased soil acidity in lawns (useful as a diagnostic)

Neutral Baa On Oct 1, 2001, Baa wrote:

A perennial from Europe and can be found in almost all temperate regions across the world.

Has arrow shaped, light-mid green, leaves which often turn red in Autumn. Bears spikes of reddish, tiny flowers.

Flowers May-August.

Loves acid soil and may tolerate neutral soil, well drained and poorish soil are preferred. Likes grassland and loves lawns, where it will march rapidly gaining large portions of territory if not kept in check.

The leaves are used in cooking and leaves can be chewed to quench thirst, it contains quite a few minerals the main one being selenium. It has a bitter taste so don't be too free with its useage. It is used in soups and salads mainly and is more palatable than common sorrel.

It has also been used as a diuretic and as a treatment for kidney diseases.

John Evelyn (1700's herbalist) reckoned it 'It renders not plants and herbs only, but men themselves more pleasent and agreeable'.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Bartow, Florida
Braselton, Georgia
Millersburg, Pennsylvania
Aiken, South Carolina
Conway, South Carolina
Moneta, Virginia



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