Rumex acetosella L.
Red sorrel, sheep sorrel, sour weed, field sorrel, common sheep sorrel
Sheep sorrel is native to Eurasia, introduced to North America and now common here.
Plants: Sheep sorrel is up to 1½′ (45 cm) in height, often closer to half that. Stems are tinted red, and deeply ridged.
Leaves: A few pale silver-colored lance-shaped leaves appear on the stem. Some of the leaves at the base are hastate, like an arrow with two barbs at the bottom.
Flowers: In spikes about 3–8″ (7.6–20 cm) tall, tightly branched. Staminate (male) flowers are yellowish-green, and pistillate (female) flowers are red to maroon. Although the individual flowers are minute in size, less than ⅛″ (3.2 mm), large patches of sheep sorrel look like a rust-colored haze near the ground. Flowers appear from March to November.
Fruits: Maroon achenes develop from the female flowers.
Habitats: Roadsides, cultivated fields, waste places, disturbed areas, lawns, meadows, railroad gravels, sandy and muddy shores: usually in acidic soils.
Edibility: Raw or cooked, small quantities add a tart, lemon-like flavor to salads. Poisonous in large quantities. They contain oxalic acid, which gives the plants a bitter, acidic taste.
Online References:
References:
6/9/2025 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm) 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
5/17/2016 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
6/13/2016 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts 
5/4/2012 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 10″ (18 × 25 cm) 
6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm) 
6/20/2021 · Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.4 × 13 cm) 
6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm) 
5/16/2024 · Ridge Trail, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
6/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
5/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
6/7/2017 · Burns Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Burns/Holland Farm, Milford, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
5/30/2014 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.5 × 13 cm) 
6/20/2021 · Highland Green, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 16 cm) 
6/8/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 5″ (10 × 13 cm) 
6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Caryophyllidae | Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts |
| Order | Caryophyllales | Includes cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, and many carnivorous plants |
| Family | Polygonaceae | Knotweed or smartweed family |
| Genus | Rumex | Ancient Latin for “docks or sorrels” |
| Species | acetosella | From an old name for plants with acidic leaves |
Rumex acetosella description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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