Rumex acetosella
| Rumex acetosella | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Rumex acetosella (common name: sheeps sorrel)
Propagation: Seed - sow autumn or spring in situ.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils[1], preferring a moist moderately fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position[2]. Although a plant of acid soils, it can tolerate some alkalinity[3].
A good food plant for the caterpillars of many species of butterflies[4][5], it grows well in the summer meadow[4].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: Cetral and southeastern Europe, including Britain, as far north as Scandanavia and Iceland.
Habitat: Heaths and acid grasslands[3]. A weed of acid soils[3][6].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[7][8][6][9][10]. A delicious lemon-like flavour, most people consider them too strong to use in quantity, but they are excellent as a flavouring in mixed salads[K]. The leaves should only be used in small quantities due to the oxalic acid content. The leaves can be used as thickeners in soups etc[11], they can also be dried for later use[8].
Root - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and made into noodles[12].
Seed - raw or cooked[13]. Easy to harvest, but the seed is rather small and fiddly to use[K].
A drink similar to lemonade (but without the fizz) is made by boiling up the leaves[11].
Medicinal: Sheep's sorrel is a detoxifying herb, the fresh juice of the leaves having a pronounced diuretic effect[14]. Like other members of the genus, it is mildly laxative and holds out potential as a long term treatment for chronic disease, in particular that of the gastro-intestinal tract[14]. The plant is also part of a North American formula called essiac which is a popular treatment for cancer. Its effectiveness has never been reliably proven or disproven since controlled studies have not been carried out. The other herbs included in the formula are Arctium lappa, Ulmus rubra and Rheum palmatum[14].
The whole plant, used in the fresh state, is diaphoretic, diuretic and refrigerant[15]. A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers, inflammation and scurvy[15]. The leaf juice is useful in the treatment of urinary and kidney diseases[7]. A leaf poultice is applied to tumours, cysts etc, and is a folk treatment for cancer[15].
A tea made from the roots is astringent and is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and excessive menstrual bleeding[15].
Usage: Dark green to brown and dark grey dyes can be obtained from the roots, they do not need a mordant[16].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: Plants can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, which is what gives the leaves of many members of this genus an acid-lemon flavour. Perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-
Links
References
- ↑ Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.